Mike Campbell, former Mariners pitcher and first-round pick, dies at 61
Seattle native helped shape the late-1980s Mariners; later founded a dessert franchise after his playing career
Mike Campbell, a former Seattle Mariners pitcher and first-round draft pick, has died at 61, the team announced Friday. He died Monday at his home in Kirkland, Washington, according to the King County Medical Examiner's Office. The cause of death was listed as pending. The Mariners issued a statement expressing condolences to Campbell's family and recognizing his place in the club's history.
Campbell was Seattle's No. 1 overall selection in the 1985 MLB Draft, out of the University of Hawaii. He made his major league debut on July 4, 1987, and appeared for the Mariners through 1989. He was part of a blockbuster trade that sent veteran left-hander Mark Langston to the Montreal Expos in exchange for Randy Johnson, Brian Holman and Gene Harris, a deal that helped shape Seattle's rotation for years and set the stage for Johnson's future stardom in the rotation.
Over parts of four seasons in the majors, Campbell appeared in 51 games, starting 41 of them, and posted a 12-19 record with 135 strikeouts and a 5.86 ERA in 233.1 innings. He also played for the Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs, with his final major league appearance coming in 1996. Injuries to his throwing arm limited much of his career, and he retired from baseball in 1999 after stints in independent and international leagues.
After leaving the majors, Campbell built a second career as a business owner. He co-founded Shiskaberry's, a dessert franchise that sold candy-covered fruit on a stick, with friend and former minor league pitcher Steve Towey. The venture kept him in the Puget Sound region, where he had grown up as a Seattle native and where he remained a recognizable figure to fans who remember his role in the Mariners' early-technical era of the franchise.
The Mariners and their fans paid tribute to Campbell after his passing. The team posted a message on X expressing sadness at the loss of a local product who helped shape an important chapter in Seattle baseball history. Campbell's death leaves a gap in the lineage of players who bridged the 1980s Mariners with the modern era, including the period during which Randy Johnson developed into an ace.
