Seattle Mariners: Top 50 players of all time
By Nick Lee
20. Hisashi Iwakuma (2012-present)
The first of the current Mariners on the list comes in at number 20. Iwakuma has been a steady force in the Mariners’ rotation for five seasons.
Last year, he was the one mainstay among a rotation full of uncertainty and injury. He had a career-high 16 wins along with 147 strikeouts in 199 innings.
On August 12, 2015, he threw his first career no-hitter and the Mariners’ fifth in club history, against the Orioles. That was his first and only complete game as well.
Iwakuma entered the major leagues at age 31 after 11 seasons professionally in Japan. He has been a popular player in Seattle, which is known for its Asian population.
Statistically, his best season as a Mariner was in 2013. He was an All-Star with 14 wins and a 2.66 ERA with career highs in innings (219 2/3) and strikeouts (185). He finished third in the Cy Young voting that season as well.
He came back to the Mariners last season with much fanfare, after he apparently failed a physical for the Dodgers. The M’s were happy to take him back and signed him through 2018.
The Tokyo native will once again be a key cog in the Mariners’ rotation as they push for their first playoff berth since 2001. If the Mariners get from Iwakuma what they got in 2013, 2014 and last season, they could be in a position to make a run in the AL West.