5 reasons to remember Mariners' 2001 season as this Seattle team approaches franchise history

Billy Heyen

5 reasons to remember Mariners' 2001 season as this Seattle team approaches franchise history image

This year's Seattle Mariners are on the verge of doing something not done since the legendary 2001 team: Win a division title.

The Mariners' AL West magic number is down to 2 (after already clinching at minimum a Wild Card spot), and that's a good reason to revisit those all-time greats.

No one has ever won more games than that 2001 Mariners ballclub.

MORE: The Guardians have captured Cleveland's hearts again

Here's some of what's worth remembering:

Seattle Mariners' 2001 history

All-time wins record

Those Mariners won 116 games. No one has ever won more in a single season.

It meant a record of 116-46, a winning percentage of 71.6%.

They beat Cleveland in the divisional series before falling to the Yankees in the ALCS.

Hello, Ichiro

This was also Ichiro Suzuki's first MLB season. And after a slow start to spring training, Ichiro quickly proved himself one of the most talented players in baseball history.

He would win Rookie of the Year and MVP.

Ichiro batted .350 and led the league with 242 hits and 56 stolen bases while also winning a Gold Glove in right field.

Bret Boone clutch gene

The star second baseman couldn't stop driving in runs. 

Often with Ichiro on base, Boone delivered a league-best 141 RBI. 

He also hit .331 with both 37 doubles and 37 home runs.

A deep pitching stable

The Mariners had a ton of solid pitchers.

Freddy Garcia led the way with a 3.05 ERA.

In the bullpen, Kazuhiro Sasaki had 45 saves, and Arthur Rhodes put up a 1.72 ERA.

The rotation also included Aaron Sele, Jamie Moyer and Paul Abbott.

How old was Jamie Moyer?

This was Jamie Moyer's age-38 season. He only went 20-6 with a 3.43 ERA in 209.2 innings.

The southpaw proceeded to pitch 11 more seasons in affiliated ball, making his last MLB appearances in 2012 with the Rockies, his age-49 season.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle