WASHINGTON — Former Seattle Mariners manager Lou Piniella is one of eight finalists on the Baseball Hall of Fame 2027 Contemporary Era Ballot.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum made the announcement on Monday.
Piniella is the all-time winningest manager in Mariners club history. He posted a record of 840–711 and led the club to four Postseason appearances.
Piniella spent 23 seasons as a Major League manager—a decade of which was with the Mariners (1993-2002).
Piniella also spent 4 years managing the Chicago Cubs (2007-10), and 3 years each with the New York Yankees (1986-88), Cincinnati Reds (1990-92) and Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2003-05).
He will be one of 12 members of the Mariners Hall of Fame when longtime broadcaster Rick Rizzs is inducted in 2027.
“Lou Piniella was a winner in every sense of the word,” said Mariners Chairman and Managing Partner John Stanton. “That passion defined his career as a player and during 23 years as a Major League manager. In his decade in Seattle, he reshaped our franchise, gave our team its heartbeat, led us to our first postseason in 1995, and delivered an MLB-record-tying 116-win season in 2001.”
Piniella led the 5 Major League clubs he managed to a combined 1,835 wins, 17th-most all-time and 8th-most since in the Divisional Era (since 1969). Of the 16 managers ahead of Piniella on the all-time wins list, 12 are in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Piniella was named the 9th full-time manager of the Mariners on Nov. 9, 1992 and led the club to a winning record in his first season. In 1995, he guided the Mariners to their first playoff appearance despite the team facing a 13-game deficit in the AL West on Aug. 3. Piniella navigated the Mariners to their first of 3 division titles after defeating the Angels in a 1-game tiebreaker.
The 16-member Contemporary Era Committee will vote on the 8 finalists on Sunday, Dec. 6. Finalists who receive votes on at least 75% of ballots (at least 12 of 16 votes) cast by the committee will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2027.
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