Sporcle Friday: Mariner Right Fielders Since Ichiro

Here is an incomplete list of some important dates in Seattle Mariners history:

• April 6, 1977 - The franchise plays its first game
• June 2, 1987 - Ken Griffey Jr. is selected first overall in the draft
• October 8, 1995 - The Double
• October 6, 2001 - The Mariners win their record-setting 116th game of the season
• July 4, 2002 - Félix Hernández signs with the Mariners as an amateur free agent
• July 23, 2012 - Ichiro Suzuki is traded to the Yankees

Since that summer day in 2012, many men have tried and failed to be the Mariners’ everyday right fielder. Unlike when Griffey was traded, the Mariners did not get an instant replacement who stepped in adequately for a living legend.

Instead, the Mariners auditioned the Eric Thames, Carlos Pegueros, and Casper Wells of the world. That didn’t work. They tried Abraham Almonte, Shawn O’Malley, and Justin Ruggiano, none of whom were particularly good or part of this group. The list of players who have occupied right field since the Ichiro trade is, as you’ve come to expect from these quizzes, deeply uninspiring.

Before you start, let’s cover the technicalities. Yes, Ichiro did return in 2018 and played some right field that season (eight innings to be exact). He also got 10 more in 2019 as he said his goodbyes at the Tokyo Dome. Don’t worry about trying to maneuver around that period. This quiz encompasses July 23, 2012 (the first day after he was gone) until today, uninterrupted.

Take a squiz at the 19 Mariners who have spent at least 100 innings in right field since Ichiro dipped eight and a half years ago.

LINK TO QUIZ