Day Forty Nine: Andy Benes

Andy Benes has always looked like he's probably an asshole. I don't know why, but there is just something in his manner, his facial makeup, the way he holds his glove, a whole lot of stuff honestly, that made me think that both him and his brother Alan were probably total jerks. He was an excellent pitcher for the Padres in the early 90s and I remember his 1989 Topps Rookie Card was a hot ticket for a while there (what a world!). So when he became the first ever mercenary hire in Mariners history during the summer of 1995 it seemed like, although his face still looked jerky, that he was going to be able to really help the club push towards the playoffs. As it turns out, Andy Benes was total garbage during the summer run of 1995, but he put the Mariners in a position to win time and time again. His ERA that summer was well over 5, but he ended up having 7 wins to his credit when the mystical dust settled on that fated season. That is about as good as you can ask for from a hired gun pitching in a bandbox. But Andy Benes was a very smart pitcher. It was something you could see really easily that year. He wasn't worried about giving up big hits or scads of runs because he knew who was coming up for him in the Mariners half. Some goddamn murderers. But when it came time to buckle down he did it. Again and again. And then the series with the Yankees.

There are dozens of storylines that make the 5 game series between the Yanks and the Mariners the stuff of legend (throughout the game really, not just here in Seattle, but especially here), but let's talk about the Andy Benes thread right here. Game 1 was a a rough one with Bosio holding serve but the bullpen letting it get away from them. So when Benes took the hill in game 2 it was must win. And Andy battled that night in the Bronx. I remember really gaining a ton of respect for him that evening. But the game just drug on and on. That one went 15. And the Yankees returned to Seattle looking to close out the sweep. Of course Randy and then Edgar happened and Benes again took the mound for game 5 and again gave the Mariners a real chance at victory. Both of his games he just gutted it out and made it deep into the frames, and both games went to extras. And in game 5 of course it ended in Mariners victory, but it cannot be overstated that it was Andy Benes that placed the Mariners in a position to win both those games. And for that he will always have a place in Mariners history.

And that's it! He was gone the next year. But he was the first and perhaps most important merc ever hired by the Mariners.