Alex Rodriguez said Tuesday that he will take part in the Seattle Mariners’ 50th season celebration this weekend, clearing up one of the biggest questions surrounding the franchise’s anniversary plans.
The Mariners are in the middle of a crucial stretch as they come out of the trade deadline, and they enter Tuesday at 55-58. Seattle is 2.5 games behind the Houston Astros in the American League West and 2.0 games back of the third and final wild card spot.
Their schedule doesn’t ease up. The Mariners open a three-game series Tuesday night against the revamped Detroit Tigers, who just dealt away Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize. Seattle will also welcome Taylor Ward and Seranthony Dominguez to Seattle, while getting Brendan Donovan back from injury.
Then comes another major test: a home series against the Tampa Bay Rays, who own the best record in the American League. Along with those games, the Mariners will spend the weekend celebrating the 50th Anniversary season at T-Mobile Park.
Saturday night’s centerpiece is the unveiling of the 50 Greatest Mariners in franchise history. Some names are obvious locks, including Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez, Ichiro and Randy Johnson.
Rodriguez was always expected to be included among the 50 greatest by virtue of his talent and what he accomplished in Seattle. The uncertainty was whether he would actually appear for the ceremony and how fans would receive him.
That part now appears settled. On Seattle Sports 710 on Tuesday, Rodriguez made it clear he will be part of the festivities at T-Mobile Park.
For a franchise that watched one era turn into another in a hurry, his presence adds another layer to a weekend already packed with significance. And for anyone who grew up with Rodriguez in Seattle, the moment carries extra weight.
Rodriguez spent much of the last 25 years as a hard figure for some Mariners fans to embrace, and the reason had little to do with his on-field résumé. It came down to the way he left Seattle after the 2000 season.
For fans who were old enough to feel it then, that exit still stings. Rodriguez had been the player many gravitated toward after Ken Griffey Jr. left following the 1999 season, and then he was gone too, just after the Mariners had won Game 1 of the American League Championship Series at Yankee Stadium and Rodriguez had homered in that game.
The departure felt personal to many supporters, especially because Rodriguez said his decision wasn’t about money. Looking back, it was easy to feel betrayed.
Time has changed the perspective. With age comes a better understanding of how business works, and how often money ends up deciding these situations. The reflection also brings a different view of how Seattle handled similar moments later on, including when it signed Robinson Cano.
Still, for some fans, the memory of that 11-year-old heartbreak never fully went away. Rodriguez was viewed through that lens for years.
Now, with the 50th season celebration here, the chance to move forward is finally on the table.
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