Mariners announce big Randy Johnson news

Matthew Wadleigh

Mariners announce big Randy Johnson news  image

As the Seattle Mariners are in the midst of a strong start to the 2025 season, the franchise made a big announcement on Monday. 

The Mariners are going to retire the No. 51 that legendary pitcher Randy Johnson wore during his illustrious career. 

"On the anniversary of that historic event, the Mariners today are announcing that Randy Johnson’s number 51 will be retired by the club in a pre-game ceremony during the 2026 season."

John Stanton, the Mariners Chairman and Managing Partner, released a statement on Johnson: “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...Randy's extraordinary accomplishments will forever be remembered and recognized with the retirement of his number 51."

Johnson was a five-time Cy Young winner during his MLB career, which included stints with the Montreal Expos, Houston Astros, Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants, although he became a household name during his days in Seattle. 

Johnson was an All-Star 10 times and was the World Series MVP in 2021 with the Diamondbacks. 

The official date will be announced when the 2026 schedule comes out, and Johnson's number will be the fourth Mariners player to be retired along with Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez and Ichiro Suzuki (also #51.) 

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Matthew Wadleigh

Matthew Wadleigh is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He was born and raised in Southern California and grew up a San Diego sports fan (yes, it’s tough, except for Aztecs hoops). Matthew went to Fresno State as a journalism major and got to see Davante Adams, Derek Carr, Paul George and Aaron Judge in person. Matthew has written for publications including ClutchPoints, Sportscasting, Fansided, Trojans Wire, UCLA Wire and Buffaloes Wire.