It was a tough decision for Sele to choose to enroll in Washington State instead of signing with his favorite boyhood team, the Minnesota Twins, out of high school in the 1988 draft. But after he was All-America following his sophomore year, and pitched for Team USA in the summer of 1990, there was no doubt that Sele was still on track for the majors. He signed with the Boston Red Sox in 1991, and by '93 was named the International League Most Valuable Pitcher, sporting an 8-2 record with a 2.19 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 94 1/3 innings. That fine half-season also earned him a promotion to the bigs, where he went 7-2 with a 2.74 ERA. He finished third in the Rookie of the Year Award voting, losing out to Tim Salmon.
After a decent 1994 season with the BoSox, Sele came out strong in '95, and after six games had turned some heads with a 3-1 record and 3.06 ERA. Unfortunately, severe shoulder tendinitis sidelined him for the rest of the year, and he could only come back in '96 after a rehab stint in the minors. But Sele was rusty, and posted a 7-11 record, while his ERA jumped two runs to 5.32. When the righty posted similar numbers the following year, he was dealt with Bill Haselman to the Texas Rangers in November 1997 for Jim Leyritz and Damon Buford.
Though he posted high ERAs in the Lone Star State, Sele had tremendous run support -- in 1998, the Rangers averaged 6.69 runs per game for him, and in 2000, 7.4 runs. The righty parlayed that fortune into a 37-20 record over two years with Texas, totaling more wins over those two seasons than anyone in the majors save Pedro Martinez.
Once granted free agency, Sele came to the verge of signing with the Baltimore Orioles, until team doctors claimed he had failed his physical. The rising Seattle Mariners jumped at the sudden opportunity, and inked him to a two-year, $15 million deal in January 2000. There he was reunited with his old Washington State teammate, John Olerud. Sele helped lead the M's to the postseason in 2000, their first post-Ken Griffey Jr. year, as he recorded 17 wins, and was named to the All-Star team for the second time in his career. (AG)
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FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY
»September 3, 1997: 2B Mike Lansing's 3rd-inning home run is Montreal's only hit, but it's enough to give the Expos a 1-0 win over the Red Sox. Aaron Sele and Tom Gordon baffle the Expos the rest of the way, but Carlos Perez allows only two hits himself in blanking Boston.
»January 10, 2000: The Mariners sign free agent P Aaron Sele to a 2-year $15 million contract after Orioles owner Peter Angelos nixes a negotiated 4-year $29 million because of questions of Sele's physical condition. Sele had been offered a four year, $28 million deal by the Rangers, but didn't act on it. "Sele fell out of the sky," marvels M's GM Pat Gillick. Sele will win 17, just one of seven pitchers to win 15 or more games in each of the past three seasons (Martinez, Maddux, Johnson, Wells, Burba, Nagy).
»January 12, 2000:
With Aaron Sele signing with the Mariners, the Rangers ink free agent pitcher Darren Oliver to a 3-year deal worth $19 million.
»April 27, 2001:
The White Sox absorb two losses today, once to the Mariners. 8–3 and the second from a doctor. Frank Thomas is injured during the game and is out for the rest of the season. The hot Mariners win their 19th of the month behind Aaron Sele. Mike Cameron gets on base five times and steals three bases.
»May 9, 2001: Red Sox 2B Chris Stynes, who had three hits in yesterday's win, suffers two fractures in his left cheekbone when he is hit by an Aaron Sele pitch in the 2nd inning. He'll miss six weeks. Seattle breaks a 5–5 tie in the 8th on John Olerud's double to win, 10–5. David Bell has four RBI for the M's, while Trot Nixon homers and Manny Ramirez and Troy O'Leary go back-to-back in the 4th.
»May 31, 2001: On "Buhner Buzz Night" at Safeco Field, Mariners ace Aaron Sele (8–0) trims the Orioles 2–1. The sizzling Mariners are now 40–12. The O's only run is Cal Ripken's 420th career homer. The 7th annual Buhner promotion, celebrating the smooth-pated outfielder, allows fans with shaved heads into the park free. This year, 6,246 fans, including 112 women, were admitted, bringing the 7-year total of baldies to 22,302.
»June 12, 2001: The Mariners defeat the Rockies, 10-9, as nine home runs are hit at Coors Field, six by Seattle and three by Colorado. Mike Cameron, drilled in the 7th inning following Bret Boone's 2nd home run of the game, hits the go-ahead homer in the 9th. The M's bullpen blows a lead and Aaron Sele (8–0) misses a W.
»December 26, 2001: The Angels sign free agent P Aaron Sele to a 3-year contract.
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