SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners announced Monday that the team will retire the number 51 jersey—again.
Just 68 days away from the Mariners officially retiring Ichiro Suzuki’s number 51, the team laid out a plan to retire the same number for Randy Johnson in 2026.
Although Johnson entered the National Baseball Hall of Fame with an Arizona Diamondbacks hat on his plaque in 2015, the pitching legend rose to prominence in the Kingdome.
“The Big Unit” had a lengthy 22-year career playing for six teams, including ten years in Seattle after a trade with the Montreal Expos in 1989. He was one of the top pitchers of his era, dominating hitters and earning five Cy Young Awards. His 1995 Cy Young was the first by a Mariners pitcher after he went 18-2 with a 2.48 ERA.
Johnson retired with a record of 303-166, a 3.29 ERA, and 4,875 strikeouts—second only to Nolan Ryan’s 5,714. He is among just four pitchers in MLB history with at least 300 wins and 4,000 strikeouts
The Mariners currently have just three numbers retired, with Ichiro set to join the group in August.
Ken Griffey Jr. had his number 24 retired in 2016, and Edgar Martínez was given the same honor in 2017 for his number 11. Major League Baseball retired Jackie Robinson’s number 42 league-wide in 1997.
The Arizona Diamondbacks retired Johnson’s number 51 in 2015.
The announcement Monday comes exactly 35 years after Johnson pitched the first no-hitter in Mariners history.
Before Johnson spun his gem against the Detroit Tigers on June 2, 1990, the 6-foot-10-inch fireballer was known for his velocity and lack of control. Before his no-hitter, Johnson was 13-16 with a 4.54 ERA in his career. From that date on, Johnson was 290-150 with a 3.21 ERA.
Johnson also threw a perfect game with the Diamondbacks in 2004.
“From his arrival in Seattle in 1989 and over the next decade, Randy helped define Mariners baseball in our region and across the country,” Mariners President of Business Operations Kevin Martinez said. “He was as fierce as any player in baseball, and he provided Mariners fans with some of the greatest moments in Seattle sports history.
The Mariners only have a handful of numbers retired because team policy sets lofty criteria for the honor.
To be eligible for the Mariners to retire a number, a player must have either: been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and been a Mariner for at least five years, or “come close to election” and have spent a “substantial portion of his career” in Seattle.
Players also need to have first joined the Mariners Hall of Fame, a group that includes nine players. Then, the player needs to have had a National Baseball Hall of Fame vote—which means the soonest a player could have his number retired by the team is six years after he retires.
Johnson retired after the 2009 season, when he was 45 years old, capping off a tremendous career. Many speculate that the Mariners waited so long because the team intended to retire Johnson’s number once Ichiro—considered a shoe-in Hall of Famer—entered the ranks as an all-time player.
“When I first got the number 51, I knew that number 51 was a special number,” Ichiro said at his Hall of Fame news conference in January. “I knew it was a special number to the organization, and I knew that it was a special number to the fans here in Seattle.”
“Obviously, I wanted to make sure number 51 was [done] justice, make sure that 51 wasn’t going to be embarrassed,” Ichiro added. “And I felt like if number 51 was just an average player, I wouldn’t do Randy Johnson justice. I knew (what it meant) for that number to keep going and for that, I took very seriously. I needed to do well to make sure I performed well in that number. I remember feeling that pressure when I got that number.”
The Mariners are not the first team to retire the same number twice. Seven other numbers have been retired twice among six teams, with the New York Yankees double retiring both numbers 8 and 42.
“Randy is both one of the greatest pitchers in Major League Baseball history, and one of the most important figures in our organization’s history,” Mariners Chairman John Stanton said. “During the 1995 season that changed the future of this franchise, his 18-2 record (in a 145-game season) was properly recognized with his first Cy Young Award.”
“More importantly, and somewhat lost to history, the Mariners were an amazing 27-3 in his 30 starts that season, an incredible 24 games over .500, compared to a record of 52-63 when any other starter took to the hill for the club,” Stanton added. “His domination that year carried the Mariners to our first-ever postseason, which led directly to the construction of T-Mobile Park and the Mariners remaining safely in Seattle forever.”
“The Big Unit” has the most wins and starts among all Mariners pitchers. He is second all-time for franchise strikeouts and third in innings pitched.
“Randy’s extraordinary accomplishments will forever be remembered and recognized with the retirement of his number 51,” Stanton said.
The Mariners have not announced the exact date of the ceremony, but Griffey, Martínez, and Suzuki all had their number retirements scheduled for August.
