Seattle Mariners

History

The Mariners were created as a result of a lawsuit. In 1970, after Bud Selig bought the Seattle Pilots and moved them to Milwaukee to become the Milwaukee Brewers, the city of Seattle, King County, and the state of Washington (represented by then-state Attorney General and future U.S. Senator Slade Gorton) sued the American League for breach of contract. Confident that Major League Baseball would return to Seattle within a few years, King County built the multi-purpose Kingdome, which would become home to the National Football League's expansion Seattle Seahawks in 1976. The name "Mariners" was chosen by club officials in August 1976 from more than 600 names submitted by 15,000 entrants in a "name the team" contest. The name was submitted by Roger Szmodis of suburban Bellevue; when the Mariners attempted to reach Szmodis about the prize he had won, they were unsuccessful—initially and ultimately.

The first home run in team history was hit in their fifth game on April 10, 1977, by designated hitter Juan Bernhardt. That year, pitcher Diego Seguí, in his last major league season, became the only player to play for both the Pilots and the Mariners. The Mariners finished at 64–98 (.395), matching the 1969 Pilots' record. The team avoided finishing in last place in the AL West by half a game. The Mariners did not post a winning record or finish above fourth place during their first fourteen seasons. In 1979, Seattle hosted the 50th MLB All-Star Game at the Kingdome.

The Mariners were sold to California businessman George Argyros in 1981, who in turn sold the team in 1989 to a group led by Indianapolis-based Jeff Smulyan, who owned radio and television stations, for $76 million. Smulyan proposed moving the team to Tampa, Florida or another market in 1992 before he put the team up for sale. Nintendo of America bought the team after the dismal 1992 season; Nintendo CEO Hiroshi Yamauchi, who held a 49 percent share of the franchise, had never been to a baseball game but sought to thank the city for its role in the company's success.

Before the 1993 season, the Mariners hired manager Lou Piniella, who had led the Cincinnati Reds to victory in the 1990 World Series. Mariners fans embraced Piniella, and he would helm the team for a decade, from 1993 through 2002, winning two American League Manager of the Year Awards during his tenure. (Piniella was selected by the Pilots in the 1968 expansion draft but did not play for Seattle, being traded in April 1969 to the Kansas City Royals, where he earned AL Rookie of the Year honors that year.)

Uniforms

1977–1980

The Mariners' original colors were blue and gold, the color scheme previously used by the Seattle Pilots and its successor Milwaukee Brewers. For the first four seasons, they wore white pullover jerseys at home with the team name in front and numbers on the left chest. The "M" in "Mariners" was shaped to resemble a trident. On the road, they wore baby blue pullover jerseys with the city name in front and numbers on the left chest. The lettering colors were blue with gold trim, though in the 1977 season the trim on the road jersey was white and the "Seattle" wordmark appeared smaller. The trident logo was added to the left sleeve prior to the 1979 season.

The cap was all-blue and featured the gold trident logo with white trim.

1981–1986

The Mariners made some subtle changes to the uniform in 1981. The trident logo was replaced by blue and gold racing stripes on the shoulders, and the lettering received an extra blue outline. The number font also changed from rounded to block style. In 1985, the road jersey color was changed to grey.

The cap logo also featured a slight update of the trident logo, changing its color to blue, along with additional outlines and a white star background, a logo first used for the 1979 All-Star Game.

1987–1992

In 1987, the Mariners changed its uniform style to traditional buttoned tops and belted pants. Both uniforms incorporated blue piping and a block "Mariners" wordmark in blue with gold and blue outlines. The numbers remained blue, but eliminated the trim outlines.

The cap logo was changed to a gold "S."

1993–present

The Mariners donned their current uniforms in 1993. The white home uniform originally featured "Mariners" in navy with trim in a shade of teal green, exclusively named "Northwest Green" for the team, and featured the "compass rose" logo atop the "M." The grey road uniform originally featured "Seattle" in navy with Northwest Green and white trim; in 2001, the compass rose logo was added in the middle of the "S." In 2015, a silver inline was added to the wordmark of both uniforms, which was also applied to the block letters and numbers. The primary logo is applied to the left sleeve.

From 1997 to 2000, the Mariners also wore sleeveless versions of their primary uniforms, accompanied with a navy undershirt.

The Mariners have also worn Northwest Green alternate uniforms at different points in their history. The original version was unveiled in 1994 and had "Mariners" in silver with navy and white trim. The next season, the white trim was removed to improve visibility. The Mariners did not wear green uniforms from 1997 to 2010, after which it became a regular part of their uniform rotation. Formerly worn on Friday home games, the Northwest Green alternates are currently worn on select Saturday home games and on road games in which the home team wears either navy or black uniforms.

The navy alternate uniform originally replaced the Northwest Green alternate in 1997 and featured the team name in silver with Northwest Green and navy trim. In 1999, the alternates were updated to feature the city name with the "S" behind the compass rose logo and silver piping; this became their road alternate the following season after a corresponding home navy alternate was introduced. In 2003, the silver piping was removed and the letter and number fonts were changed to match the wordmark. In 2012, after the Northwest Green home alternates were brought back, the navy uniforms were tweaked anew, this time with the city name in front and stylized serifed letters instead of the normal block letters. In 2024, the names were changed to block lettering. It is now worn on most road games, though they have also donned them at home on occasion.

A navy blue cap that features a ball and compass rose "S" logo is paired with the home white, road gray, and navy blue jerseys. A variation of this cap with a Northwest Green brim is worn with the home alternate jersey. In 1994, the Mariners also wore Northwest Green caps with navy brims, and in 1997 the team wore a navy cap with grey brims.

Spring training

The Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, Arizona has been the Mariners' home spring training facility since 1993, although the stadium wasn't completed until the following year. The complex is shared with the San Diego Padres. On March 25, 2013, in a 16–0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds, the Mariners broke the team record for total home runs during a spring training season with 52. Prior to Peoria, the Mariners trained in Tempe at Tempe Diablo Stadium.

Season records

This is a partial list listing the past 24 completed regular seasons. For the full season records, see here.

T-Mobile Park

T-Mobile Park (known as Safeco Field from 1999 to 2018) has been home to the Seattle Mariners since the first game vs. the San Diego Padres on July 15, 1999. There were 44,607 people in attendance that night.

Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame

Mariners then-chairman and CEO John Ellis announced on June 14, 1997, the creation of a Mariners Hall of Fame. The Mariners operate the hall of fame, which honors players, staff, and other individuals that greatly contributed to the history and success of the Mariners franchise. It is located at the Baseball Museum of the Pacific Northwest in T-Mobile Park. The most recent Mariners Hall of Fame member, Félix Hernández, was inducted August 12, 2023.

Retired numbers

The Mariners criteria for retiring a uniform number is more selective than the standards for the Mariners Hall of Fame. To be eligible to have one's number retired, in addition to the criteria outlined for the Mariners' Hall of Fame, the former Mariners should have either: a) been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and been in a Mariners uniform for at least five years, or b) come close to such election and have spent substantially his entire career with the Mariners. Eligibility shall not commence until after the former player has been voted on once for the National Baseball Hall of Fame, which for effectively means six years after retirement.

Ken Griffey Jr.'s No. 24 was retired at the beginning of the 2016 season, with the retirement ceremony taking place on August 6, 2016. Griffey was elected to the Hall of Fame in January of that year.

Edgar Martínez's No. 11 was retired during the 2017 season, with the retirement ceremony taking place on August 12, 2017. Martínez played his entire career with the Mariners and first appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2010. His No. 11 was retired in 2017, predating his 2019 election to the Hall of Fame and seemingly establishing the 58.6% of the vote he received that year as sufficiently "close" to election to satisfy the criteria. The number 11 was not issued to anyone after Martínez's retirement as a player in 2004 until his return to the Mariners as hitting coach in 2015.

Ichiro Suzuki's No. 51 was retired by the Mariners in a pregame ceremony on August 9, 2025, days after his induction into the Hall of Fame. He has continued to wear the number after retiring, including during spring training in 2020 and 2022 as well as when throwing out a ceremonial first pitch in 2022.

Randy Johnson's No. 51 was retired by the Mariners in a pregame ceremony on May 2, 2026. Johnson played 10 seasons with the Mariners, from 1989 until mid-1998, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2015. The #51 was withheld until 2001, when it was issued to Ichiro Suzuki upon his request. No other player, besides Suzuki, had worn that number for the Mariners since Johnson.

Jackie Robinson's No. 42 was retired throughout MLB on April 15, 1997, the 50th anniversary of him breaking MLB's racially exclusionist color line.

Culture

"Louie Louie"

From the 1990 season through the 2021 season, as part of the seventh-inning stretch, after the crowd was led in singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" or "God Bless America" the public address system played the Kingsmen's version of "Louie Louie". The song was a regional hit in the Northwest, covered by many local bands for nearly a decade until the Portland-based Kingsmen recorded their version in 1963. In 1985, the song's regional importance was publicized by a campaign to make it the official state song of Washington. The tradition to play the song during the seventh inning stretch began as an attempt for the then new ownership group to put its stamp on the team, and was solidified on June 2, 1990, when the Kingsmen performed the song in the middle of the seventh inning live from atop a dugout. That game, Randy Johnson threw the first no-hitter in Mariners history.

For the 2022 season, the Mariners replaced "Louie Louie" with the Macklemore & Ryan Lewis song "Can't Hold Us". Replacing "Louie Louie" was a source of contention for some fans. The Mariners stopped playing "Can't Hold Us" after Macklemore's comments at a Palestinian benefit concert in September 2024.

'Louie Louie' returned to games in the 2025 season, remixed to a slightly more uptempo beat and interspersed with encouragement to the crowd ("Let's Go Mariners!").

Buhner Buzz Cut Night

In 1994, the Mariners started a promotion called "Buhner Buzz Cut Night". Inspired by Jay Buhner's shaved head, any fan who was willing to have their head shaved before the game—or was already bald—would receive a free ticket to the game and a T-shirt with a slogan, such as "Bald Is Buhnerful" or "Take Me Out to the Bald Game". Hair 10 inches or longer was collected for charity. The promotion continued until Buhner's retirement in 2001, with a year's hiatus in 2000, and is still remembered by fans today. The club revived the promotion for its 30th anniversary in 2024, with Buhner giving catcher Cal Raleigh a buzz cut.

Rally Fries

Rally Fries are a baseball tradition started by Mariners broadcaster Mike Blowers in 2007. During a game against the Cincinnati Reds, a fan tried to catch a foul ball along the right-field line but in turn spilled his tray of french fries along the track. While chatting on the air and seeing the mishap, Blowers's partner, Dave Sims, suggested that he should send a new tray of fries to the fan. Blowers agreed, and sent his intern to deliver a plate of fries to the man.

At the Mariners' next game, fans made signs and boards asking Blowers for fries as well. Coincidentally, every time the fries were delivered, the Mariners seem to score or rally from a deficit, and thus the "Rally Fries" were created. This became so popular with the fans that signs were even seen when the Mariners were the visiting team, although on August 1, 2009, Blowers established that he only gives out fries at home games.

Generally, Blowers would select a person or a group of people that appealed to him, whether it was through fans wearing elaborate costumes or waving funny signs and boards. The fries were usually delivered from Ivar's, a Seattle-based seafood restaurant with a location at T-Mobile Park. The amount of fries given out varied with the size of the winning group of fans. The winners were generally selected around the 5th or 6th inning, although potential candidates were shown in almost every inning beforehand.

Sims confirmed in 2012 that the Rally Fries promotion had ended.

JROD Squad

The JROD Squad honors Mariners center fielder Julio Rodríguez. The location varies, although it is usually in seats in center field. Fans buying tickets to the JROD Squad section (referred to collectively as JROD's Squad) receive a T-shirt showing a replica of a gold chain Rodríguez wears around his neck. Rodríguez often interacts with the JROD Squad, waving to them and throwing them balls at the end of innings.

Previous fan sections

When Ichiro Suzuki played right field for the Mariners, seats in right field were often informally called Area 51, a nod to Suzuki's uniform number (51) and the top-secret government site in Nevada of the same name.

As the 2011 season progressed, the Mariners' marketing staff came up with an idea to encourage the growing fanbase of star pitcher "King" Félix Hernández. Every Hernández start at T-Mobile Park was accompanied by the King's Court, a designated cheering section for fans to sing, chant, and cheer while donning yellow T-shirts and "K" cards supplied by the team. It was located in the lower seating area along the third baseline. The team encouraged other activities, such as dressing like Larry Bernandez, Hernández's alter ego from a Mariners TV commercial, and awarding fans wearing costumes with a turkey leg.

The Supreme Court was a special event where the King's Court section was extended to the entirety of T-Mobile Park. The first Supreme Court was Hernández's first home game following his perfect game in 2012. Following opening day 2012, it occurred each year at Hernández's first home game of each season.

The King's Court ended following Hernández's departure from the Mariners at the end of the 2019 season.

During the 2017 season, fans created the Maple Grove, a celebration of Canadian pitcher James Paxton and inspired by the King's Court. At home games where Paxton started, a group of fans sat under a Maple Grove banner, typically in the left-field bleachers. A potted maple tree was also present in their section, provided by the Mariners. The Grove dubbed the tree "Stick Rizzs", referencing long-time broadcaster Rick Rizzs.

When Paxton got to two strikes on a batter, the Grove held up "Eh" Cards, a tip of the cap to Paxton's home country of Canada and a nod to the "K" (for strikeout) cards held up in King's Court. Variant cards have also been produced for special occasions, such as when a planned Paxton start turned into a Hernández start (a King's Grove, with "K'eh" cards to cheer for Hernández). Other special cards celebrated Paxton reaching 300 strikeouts, and a tribute to broadcaster Angie Mentink ("A" cards, to show support after she had publicly disclosed her breast cancer diagnosis). An "Eh" card is now part of the Baseball Hall of Fame's collection.

Rivalries

Divisional

The Mariners held a longstanding divisional rivalry with the Oakland Athletics as they would often battle for playoff contention or lead of the division through the early 2000s. Following the realignment of the division in 2013, the Mariners have also built a recent rivalry with the Houston Astros as both teams have handily fought for control of the division.

The Los Angeles Angels have maintained an off-and-on rivalry with the Mariners as both teams have often fought for control of the division or a playoff berth. Both teams often clashed for playoff positions during the early 2000s as the Mariners boasted a 116 win team in 2001 while the Angels managed to win the World Series in 2002. Despite both teams encountering a decline through the decade, regular matchups often developed into clashes for relevance in the division. Recently, both teams were each trying to end postseason droughts, bolstered by players such as Julio Rodríguez and Ty France for Seattle and Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout for the Angels The two teams have met 741 times, with the Angels leading the series 400–341. The teams have yet to meet in the postseason. In 2022, tensions were heightened after Angels pitcher Andrew Wantz intentionally hit Mariners batter Jesse Winker with a pitch, leading to a major brawl that resulted in several players receiving suspensions.

The Mariners and Houston Astros have fought for control of the division in recent years, since the Mariners started periodically contending for the postseason in 2014. The Astros lead the all-time regular season series 132–97 and have a perfect 3–0 record against Seattle in the postseason.

The 2022 season saw the Mariners return to the playoffs, in a year that included multiple bench-clearing incidents between the Astros and Mariners during the regular season. The Mariners and Astros faced off in the 2022 ALDS, with Houston sweeping the Mariners in 3 games. The third and final game of that series was among the longest in postseason history; its 18 innings matched the longest game in playoff history and its 6 hours, 22 minutes was the third-longest in time.

The rivalry was a brief focus at the end of the 2025 season, after a 3 game sweep of the Astros in Houston by the Mariners in late September. The sweep put the Mariners 3 games up in the division with 6 to play while all but eliminating the Astros from postseason contention. 3 days later, the Mariners won the AL West Division championship for the first time in 24 years.

American League

Although the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays are not a divisional rival, many Blue Jays fans from Western Canada travel to Seattle when the Blue Jays are the visiting team. Seattle is about a three-hour drive from Vancouver. The Seattle Times estimated that Blue Jays fans represented around 70 percent of the crowd in Safeco Field for a June 2017 weekend series. Additionally, both teams joined the league at the same time in the 1977 Major League Baseball expansion. The Mariners broke their playoff drought in Toronto in the 2022 American League Wild Card Series with a dramatic comeback in Game Two, after being down by a deficit of one run to eight, winning by a final score of ten to nine. The two teams faced off again in the post-season in the 2025 American League Championship Series. Seattle took the first two games on the road in Toronto, but ultimately lost the series three games to four, with the Blue Jays winning game seven at home.

Interleague

An unusual rivalry exists between the Mariners and the National League's San Diego Padres. The matchup was designated one of the 15 "naturalized rivalries" when interleague play began in 1997, and the teams have played every year since, except 2017.

Little on the surface links the two teams to any actual hostility, as both play in separate leagues and in cities that sit about 1,250 miles apart. Still, they share a spring training facility—the Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, Arizona—and in many years have competed for draft picks and prospects after failing to make the playoffs. (The Padres did not win a playoff series between 1999 and 2019, while the Mariners did not reach the playoffs from 2002 to 2021.) Far from a bitter rivalry, it is viewed by the teams and most fans as more of a humorous contest.

The rivalry had long been unofficially called the Vedder Cup after Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder, who claims both Seattle and San Diego as hometowns but is a vocal fan of the Chicago Cubs. In 2025, the rivalry was officially recognized as "The Vedder Cup", with the winner of the series being awarded a trophy designed by Vedder. The Mariners won the Vedder Cup in 2025.

Players

Baseball Hall of Famers

The following elected members of the Baseball Hall of Fame spent part of their careers with the Mariners.

Minor league affiliations

The Seattle Mariners farm system consists of six minor league affiliates.

Radio and television

The Mariners' flagship radio station is KIRO-AM, which previously broadcast Mariners contests from 1985 to 2002. Former flagship stations include KOMO, from 2003 to 2008, and KVI from 1977 to 1984. Television rights are held by MLB Local Media beginning in 2026, branded as "Mariners.TV". Games had been broadcast on cable network Root Sports Northwest, which the Mariners owned, until its closure after the 2025 season. In the past, Mariners games appeared in Seattle on over-the-air stations KING, KIRO, KTZZ, and KSTW. Selected Mariners games are also available on Canadian television due to an agreement between Root Sports Northwest and Rogers Sportsnet Pacific.

The Mariners made significant changes to their broadcast team in 2025, following the departure of long-time announcer Dave Sims in November 2024. Rick Rizzs is the primary radio play-by-play announcer with color commentator Gary Hill Jr. Aaron Goldsmith is the television play-by-play announcer, with a rotating group of commentators, including Angie Mentink and former Mariner players Jay Buhner, Ryan Rowland-Smith, and Dave Valle. Brad Adam and Jen Mueller are television reporters and hosts. Shannon Drayer is the radio pre-game and post-game host and clubhouse reporter. Steve Guasch is the Spanish-language radio broadcaster.

Dave Niehaus broadcast for the Mariners since their 1977 inaugural season until he died on November 10, 2010. For the 2011 and 2012 seasons, Niehaus's broadcast duties were filled by a collection of former Mariners broadcasters such as Ron Fairly, Ken Levine, and Ken Wilson and former Mariners players including Buhner, Valle, Dave Henderson, and Dan Wilson.

Tom Hutyler has been the Mariners' public address announcer since 1987, first at the Kingdome and now at T-Mobile Park. When KOMO AM was the Mariners' flagship radio station, Hutyler occasionally hosted the post-game radio show.

Franchise records and award winners

Season records

Highest Batting Average: .372, Ichiro Suzuki (2004)

Most Runs: 141, Alex Rodriguez (1996)

Most Hits: 262, Ichiro Suzuki (2004) (Major League Record)

Highest Slugging %: .674, Ken Griffey Jr. (1994)

Highest On-Base %: .479, Edgar Martínez (1995)

Highest On-Base Plus Slugging: 1.107, Edgar Martínez (1995)

Most Doubles: 54, Alex Rodriguez (1996)

Most Triples: 12, Ichiro Suzuki (2005)

Most Home Runs: 60, Cal Raleigh (2025)

Most Grand Slams: 4, Edgar Martínez (2000)

Most RBIs: 147, Ken Griffey Jr. (1997)

Most Stolen Bases: 60, Harold Reynolds (1987)

Most Wins: 21, Jamie Moyer (2003)

Lowest ERA: 2.14, Félix Hernández (2014)

Most Strikeouts: 308, Randy Johnson (1993)

Most Complete Games: 14, Mike Moore (1985) and Mark Langston (1987)

Most Saves: 57, Edwin Díaz (2018)

Career records

Sources:

Most Home Runs: 417, Ken Griffey Jr.

Most RBIs: 1,261, Edgar Martínez

Most Runs: 1,219, Edgar Martínez

Most Walks: 1,283, Edgar Martínez

Most Hits: 2,542, Ichiro Suzuki

Most Stolen Bases: 438, Ichiro Suzuki

Highest Batting Average: .321, Ichiro Suzuki

Highest Slugging %: .561, Alex Rodriguez

Highest On Base %: .418, Edgar Martínez

Highest OPS: .934, Alex Rodriguez

Most Games Played: 2,055, Edgar Martínez

Lowest ERA: 3.24, Félix Hernández

Lowest WHIP: 1.06, Logan Gilbert

Most Innings Pitched: 2,729+2⁄3, Félix Hernández

Most Wins: 169, Félix Hernández

Most Strikeouts: 2,524, Félix Hernández

Most Saves: 129, Kazuhiro Sasaki