The AL Rookie of the Year in 1984 when he cracked 27 home runs and collected 116 RBIs, Davis was the only Mariner to win a major
award in the first dozen years of the franchise. In 1984 Davis set or tied team
records for most RBI, game-winning RBI, walks, and intentional walks, as well as
home runs by a rookie.
Hitting most of his homers in the friendly confines of the Seattle Kingdome, the hulking left-handed swinger ranked as the Mariners' career home run and RBI leader in the days before Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez and Jay Buhner began their assault upon the club's record book. His sharp batting eye often raised his on-base percentage more than
100 points above his batting average, making up for occasional fielding deficiencies
and slow baserunning. But as quickly as Davis' star rose, his career hit a sharp decline. After a string of strong seasons including 100 RBIs and a career-high 29 round trippers in 1987 and a .305 average with 21 home runs in 1989, his productivity began to wane in the early 90s. In 1991 he slipped to .221 with 12 home runs and was often benched by manager Jim Lefebvre. A long-time fan favorite, Davis was given a standing ovation by the Kingdome crowd upon his last at-bat of the season, when it was apparent that he wouldn't be re-signed.
Davis tried to resurrect his career by signing a free-agent contract with California in February 1992 (the club added him partly on the strong recommendation of Angels' southpaw Mark Langston, a close friend both during and after their years together on the Mariners) but he batted just .250 with no home runs in 40 games, and left the team in mid-season to play in Japan. (TF/AGL)
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»May 13, 1986: Helped by an unusual 3-6-1-2-4 triple play in the first inning, Seattle goes on to defeat Milwaukee 8–5. After Randy Ready and Ernest Riles walk to open the game, Cecil Cooper hits a bouncer to 1B Alvin Davis, who throws to 2B to force Riles. Cooper beats the return throw to 1B, but Ready is thrown out trying to score, and Cooper is thrown out at 2B trying to advance during the play at the plate.
»May 28, 1988:
Seattle's infield records 22 assists in a 6–1 win over the Yankees, a ML record. Alvin Davis at 1B has a record tying 22 putouts. Yankee 1B Don Mattingly last season had 22 putouts, the most since 1906.
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