Day Five: Freddy Garcia

It's the fifth day of Mariners and the first day that we crack the inner-circle of Mariners. Some folks might say that Freddy does not belong to that inner-circle. Those folks would be wrong. Freddy Garcia was the best pitcher in the American League in 2001 (you cannot convince me that Roger Clemens had a better year than Freddy) and was pretty dominant in both 99 and 00. He faded over the next two years, but when he was at his peak I wouldn't want anyone else on the mound. He was pretty much unstoppable. Let's talk about some of his best moments. 

There were two huge and seemingly devastating trades that took place in the late 90's for Mariners fans. After the 99 season Griff got dealt, but even before that, at the deadline in 98, Randy Johnson became a ringer for the Houston Astros (of the National League). It is easy to forget that The Unit pitched for the Astros (and was unable to help them get out of the first round of the playoffs. Something they didn't achieve until 2005.) but nevertheless it happened! It was a raw trade for a fanbase that really felt like Randy embodied the spirit of the team in many ways. He was just such a crazy person that you felt like he was part of the fabric of the city. But he was notoriously discontent and he needed to be dealt or he was going to leave in free-agency and then we would have been really sorry. So it was crucial that the Mariners get something worthwhile in return. And there it is! This was the era when the Mariners made smart and savvy acquisitions. They traded big name talent and got huge returns. They got Carlos Guillen and Freddy Garcia (and John Halama lol). And that was the beginning of the second wave of Mariners success. It is not coincidental that Garcia was the start of that turn around. He was an ace right out of the gate. 

In 99 Garcia pitched great in both the Kingdome and at Safeco when it opened in July. He was perhaps the best rookie pitcher since Dave Fleming (oh I can't wait to do one of these for him!) and looked poised to be a dominant force in 00. Injuries plagued Garcia throughout the 00 regular season but he pitched well when healthy. He wasn't as statistically dominant as he had been in 99, but he must have been saving it for the playoffs. For game one of the ALCS to be precise. I will never forget that performance. 

I watched that game, which was in The Bronx, at my good friend Dan's apartment just off Aurora (well it was his mom's apartment, but you know how 17 year old kids are about possessions). It was on network tv (they used to have all the big playoff games on basic channels) and the Yanks were two time defending champs. The aura and mystique was probably never higher than it was that year. The Stadium looked like something out of another time. And out strode the young ace of the Mariners, totally unproven and coming off a season that was something of a step-back from his 99 campaign. He took the hill against the best team of my life-time and was brilliant. He never missed a beat. When Freddy was clicking, when all the stuff (and there was SO MUCH STUFF) was at his command, he worked so fast. Take the ball, walk to the rubber and throw. Bam Bam Bam. Just like that. Stop to mop his forehead and his immense amounts of sweat every now and then, but mostly just keep firing it to Dan Wilson or Tom Lampkin behind the dish. And that night in The Bronx he was working as fast as I ever saw him. He mowed them down. That game was a complete game shutout. And not a 8-0 CG SHO either. It was 2-0. So Freddy walked the tightrope all night and never faltered. To this day, I know I have seen better performances (Strasburg last year for example), but I have never seen a better performance that meant that much to me. Watching Freddy pitch that night I could see the Mariners taking the series and going to their first World Series. But alas, that wasn't to be. They lost the series in 6 and that is the closest they have come to getting into the big one. But for that night in October 2000, Freddy was perfect. He made the Mariners relevant on the national stage in a way that I don't think can be overstated. It was the game of his career. That is until he won World Series games with the White Sox. But I want to leave this memory with that game in 00, even if 01 was the better season and a lot happened after that which is less nostalgic. I will carry that game from 00 and I am going to try and find it on the internet and watch it at some point during all of this madness. Thanks Freddy, for all of it!