Groz Remembers 2001 Mariners: Edgar Martinez cements his legacy

2001: A Baseball Odyssey – a weekly look back at the record-setting 2001 Mariners and the players who got them there.

As the calendar turned to June, a stunned baseball world could only wonder how high the 2001 Mariners could fly.

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It was an interleague weekend on June 8, with the San Diego Padres in town to find a Mariners team looking for their 15th straight win. And the Mariners did not disappoint, led by of the most popular M’s ever.

Edgar Martinez didn’t make it to the majors until he was 27 years old, but he immediately made up for lost time. In his third full season, he won the American League batting and doubles titles. He cemented his place in Mariner lore in 1995 when he led the league in doubles again, had a .479 on-base percentage and 1.107 OPS. Oh, and that year in his first postseason series he hit a ho-hum .571, slugged 1.000 and had a fairly memorable Game 5 double against the Yankees. He eventually rolled into a new decade as one of the most dangerous right-handed hitters in baseball after a 2000 season that featured 37 homers and 145 RBIs.

On this June day it was Edgar at his best as he hammered Padre pitching. He homered in the first and added an RBI double later, going 3 for 4 on the day with four RBIs. The Mariners scored six times in the first two innings and cruised to a 7-1 win, improving to an unheard of 47-12 with a 17-game lead in the AL West.

For Edgar, 2001 was his last great season, driving in 100-plus runs and hitting over .300 for the final time in his great career.

On this June day, the Mariners and their homegrown star were the toast of the league.

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More 2001 Mariners memories from Groz

• Aaron Sele, the pitcher who ‘fell from the sky’
• Bret Boone gave Seattle a huge, surprising boost
• Paul Abbott, the forgotten hero of the historic ’01 M’s
• Introduction: Celebrating the 2001 Mariners, 20 years later

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