The Seattle Mariners announced they will retire Randy Johnson's No. 51 jersey during a pregame ceremony on May 2, 2026, at T-Mobile Park. The event coincides with a game against the Kansas City Royals, marking the fifth retired number in franchise history. Johnson, a Hall of Famer known as 'The Big Unit,' spent a decade with the Mariners from 1989 to 1998.
The Mariners revealed the date for Johnson's jersey retirement on Thursday, aligning it with their 2026 promotional schedule. The ceremony will precede a 6:40 p.m. PT first pitch against the Royals. This will be the second retirement of No. 51 in recent years, following Ichiro Suzuki's on August 9, 2025. Johnson's number joins those of Hall of Famers Ken Griffey Jr. (No. 24), Edgar Martinez (No. 11), and Ichiro Suzuki (No. 51), along with Jackie Robinson's No. 42, retired across all MLB teams.
Johnson arrived in Seattle via a 1989 trade from the Montreal Expos and developed into one of baseball's elite left-handed pitchers. His breakout came in 1993 with a 19-8 record, 3.24 ERA, and the first of six 300-strikeout seasons. He was pivotal in the 1995 campaign, earning the Mariners' first Cy Young Award that year with an 18-2 mark and 2.48 ERA.
Over 10 seasons with Seattle, Johnson compiled a 130-74 record, 3.42 ERA, 51 complete games, and 2,162 strikeouts in 274 games (266 starts). He ranks second in franchise strikeouts and third in wins, starts, and innings pitched. "There was really never any significance to me wearing the No. 51," Johnson said in June. "It kind of over time... becomes symbolic with your identity."
The club will also host Randy Johnson '80s Jersey Night on May 1, giving the first 20,000 fans a special jersey. Johnson, inducted into the Mariners Hall of Fame in 2012 and the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015, had his No. 51 retired by the Arizona Diamondbacks that same year. His 22-year career included 303 wins, 4,875 strikeouts (second all-time), five Cy Young Awards, and a 2001 World Series co-MVP.
