Fastball

Seattle Mariners' Hurler Joins Elite Names in Team History With of Electric Start

With his fantastic start in 2024, Seattle Mariners' pitcher Logan Gilbert has joined household names like Randy Johnson and Felix Hernandez in team history.

Brady Farkas

Apr 28, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Logan Gilbert (36) throws
Apr 28, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Logan Gilbert (36) throws / Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

Seattle Mariners' starting pitcher Logan Gilbert has put himself among an elite group in team history because of his fantastic start to the 2024 season.

Per Gary Hill Jr. of the Mariners' broadcast team:

Lowest ERA in first 7 starts of a season in M's history:

1. Paxton 1.26 (‘17)
2. Hanson 1.41 (‘93)
3. Félix 1.59 (‘05)
4. Félix 1.60 (‘13)
5. Iwakuma 1.61 (‘13)
6. Montgomery 1.62 (‘15)
7. Randy 1.64 (‘95)
8. Logan Gilbert 1.69 (’24)

To be paired among Felix Hernandez and Randy Johnson, a pair of Cy Young winners, is a great accomplishment and tells you just how special what Gilbert is doing is.

In addition to his pristine ERA, Gilbert is 3-0 this season. He's pitched into the seventh inning or later in each of his last five starts and has struck out 50 batters vs. just 13 walks thus far.

The 27-year-old made his Major League debut in 2021 and is 35-18 lifetime with a 3.58 ERA. He pairs with Luis Castillo, George Kirby, Bryce Miller, Bryan Woo and Emerson Hancock to make up perhaps the most dynamic starting rotation in all of baseball.

Gilbert is under team control through the 2027 season, but the Mariners may want to strike fast in getting a contract extension done. The M's, who have been known to not want to overextend for free agents, likely won't want to see Gilbert approach free agency. They should take a similar approach with Kirby and catcher Cal Raleigh as well.

Seattle is 19-15 on the season and will take on the Minnesota Twins on Monday night at 7:40 p.m. ET.

Follow Fastball on FanNation on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball on FanNation coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

Published
Brady Farkas

BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady.