Al “Moose” Clausen, the longtime Mariners front-office fixture who became one of the most recognizable ambassadors in Seattle baseball, has died at 88.
The organization and the Pacific Northwest community were mourning him Tuesday, before the Mariners’ game against the Angels in Anaheim. Clausen had been tied to the franchise for more than three decades, and for many around the club, his impact stretched far beyond sales and business operations.
Manager Dan Wilson, who knew Clausen both during his playing days in Seattle and now as the club’s skipper, said the loss hit hard.
"Clearly Moose was an exceptional individual, and what he meant to this team, what he meant to the greater Seattle community, what he meant to the world," Wilson said prior to Tuesday's game. "Just always tough losing somebody like Moose.
Thoughts and prayers go to his family. But what an incredible man.
What an incredible legacy that he leaves behind."
A Ballard native, Clausen played second base for the 1955-56 Ballard Beavers before joining the Mariners in 1982. He worked as director of sales and later as senior account manager for premium sales, but those titles only told part of the story. Around the organization, he was known as the face of Mariners baseball in the Pacific Northwest - the person who made a big-league franchise feel like part of the neighborhood.
Mariners chairman and managing partner John Stanton pointed to the way Clausen built relationships across every part of the operation.
"Moose's relationships with co-workers, players, umpires, business partners and fans (new and old) helped create the organization we are today," Mariners chairman and managing partner John Stanton said in a statement released Tuesday. "His positive attitude and unwavering belief in Mariners baseball had an enormous impact on our franchise."
Clausen’s reach went well beyond the ballpark. He graduated from Central Washington University in 1961 and was inducted into the CWU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001. He also served on the boards of the Ballard High School Foundation, the Washington Athletic Club's 101 Club and the Hope Heart Institute, and earned a place on the Ballard High School Wall of Recognition in 2009.
His commitment to service became part of the Mariners’ own culture. In 2001, the RBI Club - a group of Mariners season-ticket holders - helped create the Al "Moose" Clausen Community Service Award, given each year to a player or staff member for work away from the field. The list of winners has included Jamie Moyer, Edgar Martinez, Alvin Davis, Angie Mentink and Charlie Furbush.
When Clausen retired in 2012, the organization made sure the celebration matched the man. Nearly 500 friends, family members and former players gathered on the field at T-Mobile Park to honor him, with franchise legends Ken Griffey Jr. and Martinez among those there, along with Dave Valle, Dave Henderson, Julio Cruz and Wilson.
"Yes, Moose Clausen worked for the Mariners," former team president Chuck Armstrong noted in a 2012 Mariners blog post honoring Clausen's retirement. "But looking back on his 30 years here, I can honestly say that he really worked for the fans.
Everyone he met became his friend instantly, and by association, a friend of the Mariners. It is often said that everyone can be replaced.
But I’m not sure we can replace Moose."
Wilson said Clausen’s gift was simple but rare: he made people feel noticed, and he did it with constant warmth.
"No, [he never lacked personality]," Wilson said. "And I think he just was always a person that was wanting to connect somebody, wanting to help somebody, wanting to bring him to a Mariner game, just lift him up. And he was just such a positive guy, and made a positive impact on so many people."
In Other News...
Mariners Fans May Not Like Where This Staff Shakeup Is Headed
The Mariners are headed into the offseason with the kind of uncertainty that tends to linger well beyond the final out. According to a report from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, manager Dan Wilson is viewed as the most likely person to lose his job, while the organization is expected to keep executive leadership intact with Jerry Dipoto and Justin Hollander remaining in place.
For Seattle fans, that kind of setup points to a familiar sort of shakeup: change on the field, continuity above it. The report also notes that the looming MLB lockout could push clubs to favor stability in their front offices, which only adds another layer to how these decisions might be made as the Mariners sort through what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Josh Naylor Just Gave Mariners Fans Another Reason To Boil
Josh Naylors latest run-in at Angel Stadium gave Mariners fans another jolt of frustration in a season where every detail seems to get magnified. On a tag-up play, he was ruled out after leaving third base too early following Zach Netos catch, and the sequence quickly turned into one of those moments that can linger well beyond the inning. Weston Wilson suggested Naylor may simply have misread the play, thinking the ball had bounced, which at least offers a baseball explanation for what looked like a costly mistake.
The bigger issue for Seattle was the choice not to challenge the call, leaving the play to stand and inviting another round of criticism from fans and commentators. For a club trying to squeeze every edge it can find, especially in tight games, those are the kinds of lapses that stick. Even when the explanation is harmless enough, the optics are not, and Mariners supporters were left boiling over a play that felt avoidable from the start. [Read more 🡒]
Logan Gilbert Just Put Mariners' Biggest Problem On Blast
The Mariners season has drifted into the kind of disappointment that usually gets measured in what could have been, and Logan Gilbert was not interested in softening the edges after the loss that sealed their losing record. Seattle came into the year with expectations it has not come close to meeting, and Gilbert pointed directly at the teams lack of urgency as the problems mounted around a roster that has struggled to put together even the basics of a contender.
It has not been one issue, either. The offense has lagged, the defense has been just as shaky, and Seattles Fielding Run Value sits at the bottom of the majors, a blunt reflection of how often the Mariners have given games away. Even the clubs biggest names, including Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodrguez, have not delivered the kind of second-half push the team needed, which is why Gilberts frustration lands with extra force as the season winds toward an ugly finish. [Read more 🡒]