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<\/a><\/p>\nHe\u2019s seen Olivo take his job, Sexson sulk, and Figgins in the outfield. He\u2019s seen the #6 Org, with its stomach bugs, soggy arms, sprinkler heads, and warning tracks; posers, brain spiders and broken promises. He\u2019s Believed in slogans and prospect lists and righteous indignation; Driveline and PEDs and left-on-left splits. He\u2019s seen greatness come and quickly go, or stay too long, or return and spoil. Too many characters to list, too few to remember, most summed up in a word. I\u2019ll let you pick.<\/p>\n
These are my Mariners. The naughts. A symbol more than a celebration. Decorated with baseball, rather than embodying it. Forever looking towards a time that doesn\u2019t exist. I display them in my life not quite with pride but a perverse sense of duty, or marketing, or irony, or yes maybe pride. Never, ever the protagonists.<\/p>\n
Still, I watch. I write. I give myself, for a glimpse behind those plastic eyes. To see what they see. To know this team. To stay just a few more years.<\/p>\n
Suddenly it\u2019s there, in a blink, in a lifetime.<\/p>\n
Oct 17, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners third baseman Eugenio Suarez (28) rounds the bases after hitting a grand slam against the Toronto Blue Jays in the eighth inning during game five of the ALCS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: John Froschauer-Imagn Images<\/p>\n The Mariners honored 50 players before Saturday\u2019s game to celebrate their 50th season. It was a fairly predictable ceremony, as the team seems to find something to celebrate in this fashion once a summer. It was nice.<\/p>\n The University of Washington marching band kicked things off with the Mariners nautical theme song, before diving into their pep band set list for what felt like a bit too long. A hype reel followed, with the standard fare of classic highlights and a voice over delivering the first platitudes of the evening.<\/p>\n They eventually got to the point and announced the 50 most notable Mariners alumni. Players were brought out by era, old guys first. The full list<\/a> wasn\u2019t too surprising or controversial. It was cool to see guys I wasn\u2019t thinking about ahead of time, like JJ Putz, Kazuhiro Sasaki, and Raul Ibanez. And it was cool to see some personal favorites, like Mitch Haniger, James Paxton, and Hisashi Iwakuma. The cheers outweighed the boos for Alex Rodriguez and Dan Wilson. The only living players who didn\u2019t show up were Robinson Can\u00f3, Kyle Seager, Freddy Garc\u00eda, and Luis Castillo. There were seven players from the active roster (and eight if you count Castillo). The only snub I could think of was Eugenio Su\u00e1rez, but I understand why he wasn\u2019t included. After they called 40 or so names chronologically, they brought out the inner circle guys like Alvin Davis, Jay Buhner, and F\u00e9lix Hern\u00e1ndez. They finished by having the quartet of true Hall of Famers (Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez, Randy Johnson, and Ichiro) walk in from center field. Again, it was nice.<\/p>\n Next came a longer montage on the history of the team<\/a>. This one was great, I thought, with much more than the standard highlights you\u2019ve seen too often. They showcased lots of great Mariners-y things, like individual performances and minor accolades and commercials. Rick Rizzs did the voice over with another round of platitudes.<\/p>\n The video faded to the podium with a tuxedo\u2019d Rizzs offering a few more platitudes before handing the mic to Alvin Davis. I was excited for this, as we generally don\u2019t get to hear from Davis, despite his status as Mr. Mariner. His speech was OK. He talked about the Mariners identity: \u201cLoyal, steady, kind \u2014 that\u2019s a Mariner.\u201d And he noted the org\u2019s tendency to hold on for dear life to its history, pointing to Wilson and Edgar in the dugout. He eventually fell into the corny routine of trying to hype up the current squad and told them to go win a World Series. \u201cOutsiders have doubted this franchise for 40 years (sic). Let that doubt fuel you. Prove them wrong. We believe in you. Prove us right.\u201d<\/p>\n John Stanton was next to the stage, the boos covered with yet another highlight package, this time honoring Rizzs. But instead of more platitudes, Stanton got right to the point. He thanked Rizzs for 41 years with the team and announced he would be inducted into the Mariners Hall of Fame<\/a>. \u201cFor many Mariners fans, the voice of the summer is Rick Rizzs,\u201d Stanton said. This was a very touching moment, with the players and crowd giving a tremendous ovation while Rizzs failed to fight back tears.<\/p>\n Rizzs took the podium again<\/a>, clearly flustered by the news \u2014 again, very touching. He thanked a bunch of people and quipped he was honored to be the \u201cshortest member of the Mariners Hall of Fame.\u201d Rizzs then announced Lou Piniella, who was yet to be seen, would throw out the first pitch to Wilson. Piniella appeared<\/a> and all the players got off the stage and huddled around him while he made the toss. This was the best part of the night, as all the alums stood in the middle of the field and commiserated. A-Rod gave Wilson a huge hug. Haniger and J.P. did some catching up. Mike Moore talked Logan Gilbert\u2019s ear off. Buhner and F\u00e9lix exchanged a chummy embrace. Dave Valle was mic\u2019d up. For as much as these things can be a bit of an eye roll, given the frequency with which the organization insists on remembering itself, seeing all these people again was a good time. It was nice.<\/p>\n SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – AUGUST 08: The Voice of the Seattle Mariners Rick Rizzs reacts to a standing ovation during the Seattle Mariners 50th Season Celebration at T-Mobile Park on August 08, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jack Compton\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n Then the game began. Turns out it was still the 2026 Mariners. They lost 3-2.<\/p>\n George Kirby got the start, shortly after being named one of the 50. He was just OK. He couldn\u2019t find the zone at times and struggled to coax much chase or whiff at others, with the Rays fouling off tons of pitches. He nearly made it through four innings with a 1-0 lead, but with two outs, Victor Mesa Jr. got hold of an up-and-in fastball and crushed a game-tying homer<\/a> to right. A pair of singles followed and things looked like they might get away for Kirby. But he got a pop up in foul territory that Cal Raleigh made a fantastic sliding catch on, despite a competing effort from Kirby.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n