June 24, 2013 marks my 30th birthday. For all intense and purposes, I have been a fan of the Mariners my entire life. (My parents would probably tell you I had baby clothes with the old pitchfork logo on them.) It’s a big birthday and I’ve been wondering lately how historic June 24th might actually be.
To my surprise, it’s not a very “popular” day worldwide. No really big historical moments occurred (1947 – Kenneth Arnold makes the first widely reported UFO sighting near Mount Rainier, WA) and not a huge list of celebs to party with. But here are a few:
LIONEL MESSI (Soccer superstar)
JACK DEMPSEY (Boxing legend – 1895-1983)
CHUCK TAYLOR (Basketball player who was the first to endorse a line of shoes with his Chuck Taylor All Stars becoming one of the top selling basketball shoes in history.)
RICH EISEN (ESPN/NFL Network fame)
MICK FLEETWOOD (drummer from Fleetwood Mac)
IAIN GLEN (“new celeb”; TV actor best known for ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘Downton Abbey’)
PETER WELLER (He played Robocop!)
TOM LISTER (Deebo from “Friday”)
ANTOINE WINFIELD (new Seahawk)
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So after I realized all of that, I turned to my favorite sports team… the Seattle Mariners. How many gifts have they given me on the day of my birth? Surprisingly, they’ve fared “ok”.
W-L Record on June 24th (since 1983): The Mariners are 9-8 at home and 8-4 on the road (didn’t play on the day every year) — 17-11 during my lifetime.
Note: 2011 was funky. It was considered a “road” game at Safeco Field vs Marlins. Marlins hit the road to accommodate U2 playing sold out shows in Miami.
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17-11? Sweet! That’s definitely better than “ok” by Mariners standards. So who do I owe the love to for kicking tail on June 24th throughout the years? Here’s the best of the best on that summer day:
Mariners, Most HR on June 24 – All-Time
- Raul Ibanez – 3
- Kenji Johjima – 3
- Ken Griffey Jr. – 2
- Edgar Martinez – 2
- Phil Bradley – 2
- Bret Boone – 2
Mariners, Most RBI on June 24 – All-Time
- Edgar Martinez – 8
- Bret Boone – 7
- Kenji Johjima – 6
- Richie Sexson – 6
- 5 Players – Tied 5
Mariners, Highest BA on June 24 – All-Time
(Minimum 10 PA)
- Kenji Johjima .778 (7/9)
- Bret Boone .545 (6/11)
- Alex Rodriguez .462 (6/13)
- Bruce Bochte .455 (5/11)
- Bob Kearney .444 (4/9)
Mariners, Most IP on June 24 – All-Time
- Randy Johnson 36.0
- Felix Hernandez 17.0
- Mike Moore 15.0
- Jamie Moyer 10.0
- Freddy Garcia 9.2
30 years down and hopefully many many more to come. It has been a roller coaster at times but I am definitely in a good spot right now. Cheers to you and hopefully you’ll be with me in some capacity for many more celebrations.
– Chris
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