Texas Rangers Tickets

After investing $114 million in contracts for Adrian Beltre and Richie Sexson before the 2005 season, the Mariners were much more excited about the performance of 19-year-old pitching phenom Felix Hernandez. That's a commentary on Hernandez's prodigious talent, as well as the outcome of another dismal season in Seattle.
A year after losing 99 games, the Mariners improved by just six games in 2005 and were again out of contention early in the season. Sexson stayed healthy and performed well, hitting 39 home runs with 121 RBIs, but he got little help from Beltre or anyone else in the lineup. Beltre hit .255 with 19 home runs a year after he hit 48 for the Dodgers, and the Mariners finished last in the American League in batting and next-to-last in runs.
The pitching staff was merely average, but the major league debut of Hernandez made up for a multitude of sins. Hernandez came up after the All-Star break and made 12 starts, compiling a 2.67 ERA and striking out 77 in 84 innings, showing he has the stuff to be a No. 1 starter in short order. Ageless wonder Jamie Moyer led the team with 13 wins, and closer Eddie Guardado had 36 saves in spite of a torn rotator cuff in his left shoulder.
The Mariners continued to try to spend their way out of last place in the offseason, signing Jarrod Washburn away from the Angels with a four-year, $37.5 million contract. But they'll need a turnaround from their hitters, particularly Beltre, to make any noise in the AL West.