Ayala went to high school at Rio Mesa in Oxnard, California. He was brought up with the Reds as a starter before moving to the bullpen in his second season. The Reds traded Ayala with catcher Dan Wilson to the Mariners for Bret Boone and Erik Hanson in November 1993.\n', '

Ayala had some success in Seattle, finishing the strike-shortened 1994 season with a 2.86 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 57 innings while saving 18 games. During the "magical" Mariners 1995 season, the team held a promotional "Bobby Ayala Goatee Night," where fans wearing a goatee could get free tickets.\n', '

Ayala struggled mightily over the next few seasons, often blowing key saves and drawing criticism from Mariners fans and the Seattle press. "On April 24, 1996, he punched out the window of his hotel room at the Westin in Chicago after a reported night of drinking." Bobby and the Mariners arrived late in Chicago, at 3:00 am. The air conditioning unit was not functioning and the room was rather warm. Bobby tried to open the window to let the cold April air into the room. During the process of trying to open the latches, Bobby palmed the jammed lower left latch to try to unjam it. Upon hitting the latch with his palm, his hand slipped off the latch and into the window. He called the team trainer to inform him his hand was severely cut and that he needed stitches. According to Bobby, his room "looked like a murder scene" due to the loss of blood.\n', '

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