Seattle Mariners: Top 50 players of all time
By Nick Lee
12. Mark Langston (1984-1989)
Langston was drafted in the second round of the 1981 draft by the Mariners out of San Jose State. He made it to the Show in 1984 as a part of their starting rotation.
He started 33 games his rookie year, winning 17 games and posting a 3.40 ERA and an American League-leading 204 strikeouts. He finished second in Rookie of the Year voting to his teammate, Alvin Davis. He would be a part of the Mariners rotation for almost six full seasons.
Langston’s best year was in 1987, when he earned his first of four All-Star selections. He won a career-high 19 games with a 3.84 ERA and an AL-leading 262 strikeouts (he led the league in Ks three times as a Mariner). He also had 14 complete games in 272 innings and won a Gold Glove. that season.
Halfway through the 1989 season, he was traded to the Montreal Expos for a few players, one named Randy Johnson. After 1989, he would go on to pitch for the Angels, Padres and Indians in 10 more seasons.
Langston was a vital part of the 1998 San Diego Padres team that won the National League pennant, but fell to the Yankees in the World Series. He appeared in four games in that playoff run.
He is in the top five in Mariners history in wins (5th), strikeouts (4th) and WAR (4th). Only Johnson and the previously mentioned Mike Moore had more complete games as a Mariner.