The Mariners were Seattle’s second Major League Baseball team, after the Seattle Pilots played one season in 1969 before moving to Milwaukee and becoming the Brewers. Slade Gorton, Washington’s Attorney General, sued the American League for breaking a lease and failing to fulfill its promise to field a baseball team in Seattle. The suit was settled with a deal – Seattle would get a team starting in the 1977 season and in exchange would drop the lawsuit.

The Mariners played their first game at the Kingdome on April 6, 1977 against the California Angels (now named the Los Angeles Angels). A crowd of 57,762 fans watched the game, which was the largest opening night crowd in baseball history. Unfortunately, the Mariners lost 7-0. This image shows the Mariners lined up before the game’s start. Identified at the right end of the line are manager Darrell Johnson #22, outfielder Dave Collins #5, and second baseman José Báez #14. Collins was the Mariners’ first batter of the night, while Báez got the team’s first hit.

Caption information source: “Seattle Mariners,” HistoryLink, retrieved from https://www.historylink.org/file/9560
Caption information source: “California Angels vs Seattle Mariners Box Score: April 6, 1977,” Baseball Reference, retrieved from https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SEA/SEA197704060.shtml