On Thursday, the internet got a fresh look at one of the most famous moments in Seattle Mariners history - this time from the Yankees’ side.
Rare audio from Game 5 of the 1995 American League Division Series has been making the rounds, featuring the New York broadcast voices of Michael Kay and John Sterling. The clip includes more than nine minutes of highlights, capped by Sterling’s call of Edgar Martinez’s game-winning double off Josh McDowell.
That hit, of course, came on the 31-year anniversary of the play that still sits at the center of Mariners lore. Martinez’s double is the signature swing in franchise history, and longtime Seattle broadcaster Dave Niehaus gave it one of the great calls the moment deserved.
Hearing the play from the other booth is the twist here. For plenty of fans, the Mariners’ side is the version burned into memory. The Yankees’ audio offers a different window into the same eruption, and it’s a rare one.
Martinez’s place in Mariners history hardly needs much reminding. An 18-year Seattle veteran, he finished his career batting .312 with 309 home runs and 1,261 RBIs. He led the American League with 145 RBIs in 2000, paced the league in doubles twice, won two batting titles and three AL on-base percentage crowns, and made seven All-Star teams before his Hall of Fame election in 2019.
He’s one of three Mariners in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, alongside Ken Griffey Jr. and Ichiro Suzuki. He’s also widely viewed as the greatest designated hitter ever, which is why the annual DH award carries his name. Martinez has also worked with the Mariners in a hitting coach role more than once.
Elsewhere around the club, Seattle remains nearly two weeks removed from its manager change, and the search chatter still hasn’t produced much clarity. One name that continues to come up is Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt, who has ties to the Mariners.
If Vogt is truly in the mix, Seattle can’t just make a move right away because Cleveland is still playing. The only way to get him would be to trade for him, an unusual route that has been taken before.
On the latest episode of the “Refuse to Lose Territory” podcast, ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney weighed in on the possibility of the Mariners pursuing Vogt.
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