Retired Numbers
Jackie Robinson Retired by all of MLB Retired 1997 |
The Seattle Mariners have not retired any uniform numbers. Official team policy states that number retirement is reserved for players in the National Baseball Hall of Fame who played for at least five years with the Mariners, or career Mariners players whose name has appeared on at least one Hall of Fame ballot.
Despite not officially retiring any numbers, the team has not reissued the numbers 11 (Edgar MartÃnez), 14 (Lou Piniella), 19 (Jay Buhner) or 24 (Ken Griffey, Jr.) to any uniformed staff since the last player to have worn the number left the team. Number 56 (Greg Halman) has not been issued since his death following the 2011 season. Under current team policy, Martinez, who played his entire major-league career in Seattle and first appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2010, is the only player unquestionably eligible to have his number retired. If "career player" is interpreted less strictly, Buhner would also be eligible for number retirement. Although he began his MLB career with the New York Yankees, he played less than two full seasons there; he spent the remainder of his 15-year career with the Mariners. He appeared on one Hall of Fame ballot, in 2007.
Uniform number 00 is presumed off-limits, as it has been worn by the Mariner Moose since 1997 (outfielder Jeffrey Leonard was the last player to don 00 for the M's, in 1990). From 1990 to 1996, the Moose wore the last 2 digits of the year of the current season.
Jackie Robinson's number, 42, was retired throughout Major League Baseball on April 15, 1997.
Number 51, worn by Randy Johnson, was withheld from players from 1998 until 2001, when it was awarded to Ichiro Suzuki upon his request after wearing it for his entire career in Japan. It has presumably been taken out of circulation again, following Ichiro's 2012 trade to the Yankees.
24 was not issued from the time Ken Griffey, Jr. left the team after the 1999 season until it was re-issued to him when he returned in 2009 and has not been reissued since his retirement in 2010.
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