Hanson earned a September call-up to the Mariners after hurling a 5-0, seven-inning no-hitter for Triple-A Calgary against Las Vegas on August 21, 1988. Tagged as the Mariners’ top pitching prospect, Hanson didn’t allow an earned run in his major-league debut against Frank Viola and shut out Milwaukee five days later. Despite missing almost half of the next season on the DL, Hanson again proved his talents by going 9-5 with a 3.18 ERA — the lowest for a Seattle starter that year.
Armed with a big curve, the 6’6″ New Jersey native set a club record with 18 wins the following season, and spent five more years as a mainstay in the Seattle rotation before a November 1993 trade sent him to Cincinnati with Bret Boone for Bobby Ayala and catcher Dan Wilson. Hanson’s fine sophomore campaign in 1990 proved to be his best, although he didn’t earn an All-Star nod until a 15-5 season in 1995 — his first and only season with the Red Sox.
Hanson tossed 214 2/3 innings after signing on with the Blue Jays in 1996, but a torn labrum in 1997 — originally misdiagnosed as shoulder tendinitis — led to surgery and effectively ended his career.
