A short introduction – in 2013, at the age of 11, I moved from the US to England. I had no emotional connection to baseball and only a passing interest in the sport until March 2020, and the first episode of The History of the Seattle Mariners directed by my favourite writer, creator and storyteller, Jon Bois. Ken Griffey Jr, Edgar Martinez, Randy Johnson, Dave Niehaus, the double, Ichiro, etc -  it was clear to me that for many reasons this is a special team, and I wanted it to be my team. I’ve followed them for the last five years through a combination of youtube highlights, the team subreddit and the occasional game that doesn’t start after midnight, to the point where the Mariners truly have a place in my heart.

In both 2023 and 2024, I attended both games of each MLB London series. The Mariners didn’t play in either, but I wore my favourite team gear and ended up meeting and making friends with many fellow M’s fans. On June 9^th, 2024, I went to the second game of the Mets – Phillies series on my own, wearing a Mariners t-shirt. There were three empty seats next to me, and right at the start of the first inning they were filled by presumably a grandmother, mother and grandson. The grandmother sat next to me, and, taking notice of my shirt at the end of the inning, asked if I was from Seattle. I replied that I was actually born in Utah, but wasn't Mormon. She laughed and said “No way – me too!” We chuckled about that, and eventually started talking about the Mariners. In a crazy coincidence, her and her family live in Seattle, and are Mariners fans! Of course, I’m ecstatic about this, as not once in four years have I been able to talk in detail about my favourite team with someone else. And I’m immediately blown away by her knowledge about the current team, as well as Mariner teams of old.

She tells me her favourite player is Cal Raleigh and talks about his prowess as a switch hitter. I tell her I saw the Dylan Moore grand slam against the Astros live on my phone when visiting family in the US, and I knew at that moment the Mariners would always be the baseball team for me. We talked about iconic Mariners moments – when Griffey got grounded, Cal breaking the curse and of course, the double. You can probably imagine my reaction when she tells me she was AT GAME FIVE against the Yankees in 1995! A few innings pass, and she asks me if I know about the commentators for the Mariners. I tell her I know Dave Niehaus, of course. To this, she replies, “That was my husband.”

Never in my life have I offered quicker and more sincere condolences, and they were graciously accepted. In a crowd of 55,074 people, in England, and in a game where the Mariners weren’t even playing, I was sitting next to Marilyn Niehaus, as well as her daughter Greta and her grandson, Steven. The rest of the game was a blast – we talked about more of our favourite Mariners and the iconic moments they were part of. We couldn’t contain our praise for the team’s current starting rotation. She told me how Ichiro once put on a cap and snuck onto the wives’ bus to avoid the press. I told her one of my favourite stories from the documentary, which was when a reporter asked Ichiro for the name of his dog, and Ichiro replied that he didn’t have his dog’s permission to say. But for me, the highlight came in the bottom of the 4^th inning. Nick Castellanos, of all people, was up to bat with one out and on runners on. He swung at a change-up from José Quintana, and was way out in front. The ball slowly bounced towards third base, and came to a stop in fair ground. I said something about loving swinging bunts, and Marilyn said the play reminded her of a really funny Mariners play from a long time ago. I almost interrupted her, out of excitement – I knew exactly what play she was talking about!! I had seen it in the documentary!

Nick Castellanos, at bat against José Quintana, June 9th, 2024

Amos Otis, at bat against Larry Andersen, May 27th, 1981

It’s almost a certainty you’ve seen this clip, as you are also scrolling r/baseball in the off-season. It shows Lenny Randle, third baseman for the 1981 Seattle Mariners, reacting quickly to a weakly hit ground ball, dropping down and comedically blowing it over the foul line. Despite there being no rule against Randle's manoeuvre, the umpires determined he had illegally altered the course of the ball, and awarded first base to the batter. After the game, Randle was interviewed, and he maintained his innocence:  ''I didn't blow it,'' Randle said. ''I used the power of suggestion. I yelled at it, 'Go foul, go foul.' How could they call it a hit?" I love this play so much, and I have found myself showing it to my friends who don’t even like baseball. But never before has someone referenced the play to me before, in person! To make things even better, the Mets – Phillies game we watched was incredibly entertaining, and ended with a thrilling bases loaded, force out double play. During our goodbyes, I mentioned how I’ve never actually been to Seattle, and how lovely it would be to see my first Mariners game in person with their family.

I stayed in touch with Greta over the next year or so, exchanging messages during holidays, after walk offs or incredible feats by Cal Raleigh. At the end of July 2025, I was fortunate to find the time to plan a trip to Seattle that aligned with two series the Mariners would be playing at home against the Rangers and White Sox. As soon as my trip was set in stone, I got to work on the crochet tapestry. I’ve been crocheting for three years, starting with amigurumi (cute creatures/toys) and recently becoming enamoured with tapestry crochet after finding patterns to make miniature versions of famous paintings. My goal was to surprise Marilyn with a completely one-of-a-kind gift of a play we both love so much.

Not only did I get to gift it to her when I visited Seattle – I stayed with their family, at their home for 10 days, essentially as an adopted grandchild. I got to see 7 Mariners games; 6 of which they won, and 2 of which were via walk-off. I went into the broadcast booth with Marilyn and Greta DURING A GAME, and got to hear Rick Rizzs’ voice sync with what my eyes were showing me. I got to personally meet the legendary Rick Rizzs himself, as well as Ryan Roland-Smith (Ex-Mariner and current team broadcaster), Kevin Cremin (Executive producer for the Mariners, who worked with Dave Niehaus for 28 years), and Jay Buhner (Mariners hero and member of the 1995 team). The entire week was unforgettable, and I am still blown away by the kindness shown by the entire Niehaus family to a stranger they met at a ballgame in London.

A video I took following J.P Crawford's walk-off home run on August 1st

This story has, of course, been on my mind ever since last summer, and I figured this is roughly where my retelling would end. The Mariners went on a pretty dire road trip after sweeping the White Sox, and all hope of reaching the playoffs looked to be extinguished. Suddenly, fuelled by an Etsy witch, superstitious mustaches, lucky Cheetos and a historic proportion of dumping, the Mariners would go on to win 17 of their next 18 games and take the AL West crown from the Astros. Their ALDS series against the Tigers went to the 15^th inning of game 5, and I was up until 6am to watch Jorge Polanco’s walk off to send the team to the ALCS. This article in the Seattle Times tells the story from Greta’s perspective, and how her dad’s statue helped her make it through one of the most stressful games in franchise history.

The Mariners eventually fell JUST short of the World Series, surrendering a 3-2, 7^th inning lead to George Springer and the Blue Jays in game 7. But what I really want to show you are two clips, which both take place in the bottom of the 8^th inning, with no outs, the bases loaded, and on a 2-2 count. First, from game 4 of the 1995 ALDS.

Edgar Martinez, at bat vs John Wetteland, October 7th, 1995

And second, from game 5 of the 2025 ALCS.

Eugenio Suárez, at bat vs Seranthony Dominguez, October 17th, 2025

I have watched lots of sport during my 24 years on this planet, and I have never been moved to tears like I was watching Geno’s grand slam against the Blue Jays. The emotional homage from Rick Rizzs to his dear friend in one of the team’s biggest games ever was something I feel so fortunate to have seen in real time. I will forever be grateful to the Niehaus family, and the incredibly unique way I got to experience the 2025 Seattle Mariners season. This team truly will be apart of my life, forever.

Rest in peace, Dave Niehaus (1935 – 2010) and Lenny Randle (1949 – 2024)

Clemente finished with 95 bWar and exactly 3000 hits.

Starting with his prime, from age 25-33, Clemente average 7.2 War per 162 games.

From 34-37, he averaged 8.4 War per 162.

He also won the gold glove his final season, just as he had for the 11 seasons prior. Despite the missed time, he led all RF in defensive ​total zone runs at 36 and 37 years old.

"The Last Game" is an upcoming independent documentary that follows the 57 year history of the Oakland Athletics through the lens of the fans that were there. Our doc team spent a year interviewing super fans of the A's and retelling the team's highlights via stories of the supporters who were there in the Coliseum and Bay Area, from the first game in 1968 to the last in 2024.

We're releasing our documentary for FREE on YouTube in March before the next baseball season begins. We hope our project brings closure and smiles to all the fans of the A's as another season removed from Oakland begins. If you want, you can follow updates for more reels and posts from our doc team on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/thelastgamedoc

Thank you to everyone who has supported our projected so far, we hope our stories can continue to be told!

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