Mike Blowers
Michael Roy Blowers (/ˈblaʊ.ərz/; born April 24, 1965) is a former Major League Baseball player, a third baseman and first baseman for the New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Oakland Athletics.
| Mike Blowers | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Blowers in 1988 | |||
| Third baseman | |||
| Born: April 24, 1965 Würzburg, West Germany | |||
| |||
| MLB debut | |||
| September 1, 1989, for the New York Yankees | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| October 3, 1999, for the Seattle Mariners | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .257 | ||
| Home runs | 78 | ||
| Runs batted in | 365 | ||
| Teams | |||
Early years
Born in Würzburg, West Germany, Blowers lived in Oklahoma and then West Germany until the seventh grade, when his U.S. Army stepfather was transferred to Fort Lewis, south of Tacoma, Washington.[1] He is a 1983 graduate of Bethel High School in Spanaway and played college baseball at Tacoma Community College and the University of Washington in Seattle.[2] Following his freshman year, Blowers was selected by the Mariners in the 1984 Major League Baseball Draft, but opted not to sign. During his junior year at Washington, his only season with the Huskies, he won the triple crown in the Pac-10 North Division, and was selected by the Montreal Expos in the tenth round of the 1986 MLB Draft.[2][3][4]
Professional career
Blowers made his Major League Baseball debut with the New York Yankees on September 1, 1989, and played his last game on October 3, 1999 for the Seattle Mariners.
Blowers, playing with the Yankees against Texas, in Arlington Stadium, in the fifth inning, on April 21, 1990, hit his first MLB home run off Charlie Hough and four innings later in the ninth inning, hit his second homer off Craig McMurtry.[5] On May 3, playing in Yankee Stadium, he committed 4 errors at third base, leading to 7 unearned runs, in a 10-5 loss to the Cleveland Indians. At the time he was the 21st American League third basemen to have such a terrible day. On the other hand the only third baseman to commit more errors in a game was David Brain for the Boston Beaneaters in 1906.[6]
He was the 13th player to hit grand slams in consecutive games, which he did on May 16 and 17 of 1993 with the Mariners.
He hit for the cycle on May 18, 1998 as a member of the Oakland Athletics.
In 1995, Blowers hit .257 with 23 home runs and 96 RBI for the Mariners as they made their first postseason and advanced to the American League Championship Series. His 33 RBI in August remains the most by a Mariners player in a single month, a record he co-holds with Mariners Hall of Fame third baseman and designated hitter Edgar Martínez.
In 1999, Blowers played 73 games with the Hanshin Tigers of the Nippon Professional Baseball league.
Post-playing career
Since 2007, he has been a television and radio color commentator for the Seattle Mariners. He worked alongside Baseball Hall of Fame broadcaster Dave Niehaus, and continues to work with Dave Sims.[7]
He was inducted into the Tacoma Community College Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007.
Blowers owns and manages a number of Washington-based companies, including Beach Wood Homes of Fife and Keymark Real Estate of Puyallup.
Prediction of Tuiasosopo's first career home run
During the pre-game broadcast of a September 27, 2009 bout between the Mariners and the Toronto Blue Jays, Blowers predicted Matt Tuiasosopo's first career home run. What started as simply selecting a notable player for the day's game became an extended humorous rant by Blowers. In the course of pre-game banter, he stated that the home run would come in Tuiasosopo's second at bat, on a fastball from Brian Tallet with a 3-1 count, and that the ball would land in the second deck of left center field. This then happened - with correct prediction of player, at-bat, count, pitch, and general landing area - in the top of the fifth inning.[8]
Blowers was on the television side of the broadcast when the prediction came true, and laughed it off without explanation, though days later explained that Tallet likes to throw fastballs, but has poor control of his pitches. Tallet was also a relief pitcher who was in the starting rotation in the 2009 season, increasing his workload. Radio announcers Rick Rizzs and Dave Niehaus, however, recalled the prediction, restated it for the audience, and were beside themselves in laughter and disbelief as the prediction came true. Said Niehaus on-air, seconds before the event, "I've never been so excited on a 3-1 count in my life!". As Tuiasosopo circled the bases, Niehaus exclaimed "I see the light! I believe you Mike!".
References
- Siemon, Dean (June 2, 2016). "Structure of military family gave former big leaguer his start". Northwest Guardian. Joint Base Lewis–McChord, Washington. Archived from the original on August 21, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
- Chin, Michael (May 31, 2005). "Prep flashback: Bethel's Blowers had a blast playing for 1995 Mariners". Seattle Times. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
- "Mike Blowers' page at The Baseball Cube". Retrieved 2006-11-01.
- "University of Washington Baseball Players Who Made It to a Major League Baseball Team". Baseball-Almanac.com. Archived from the original on 2 December 2005. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
- http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1990/B04210TEX1990.htm retrieved 9/8/17
- "4 Errors by Blowers Yield 7 Runs for Indians" Murray Chass The New York Times May 4, 1990
- Stone, Larry (January 12, 2007). "M's juggle lineup in broadcast booth". Seattle Times. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
- "Tuiasosopo homers as predicted".
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
- Seattle Mariners – Broadcasters
- Page on "Seattle Mariners" All-time Roster
- ESPN's Mike Blowers career notes
- Mike Blowers Fries Fansite
- Reporter Shannon Drayer's blog, detailing the predicted home run
| Achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Olerud |
Hitting for the cycle May 18, 1998 |
Succeeded by Dante Bichette |