For generations of Seattle Mariners fans, summer baseball has come with a familiar soundtrack.
Rick Rizzs has been there for the unforgettable seasons, the miserable ones and seemingly everything in between. He called the Mariners’ remarkable run in 1995, watched the 2001 club win an MLB-record-tying 116 games and remained behind the microphone through a 21-year postseason drought before Seattle finally returned to October in 2022.
Now, after 41 seasons with the Mariners and 52 years broadcasting professional baseball, Rizzs is reaching the end of the road.
Seattle is using its final home series against the Los Angeles Angels to celebrate Rizzs before he calls his final game Sunday at T-Mobile Park. Friday featured a Rizzs-themed postgame fireworks show, he is scheduled to throw Saturday’s ceremonial first pitch, and Sunday has been designated as a full celebration of the longtime radio voice, complete with commemorative placards for fans and tributes throughout the afternoon.
The Mariners even created a “Holy Smokes” hotline for fans to leave messages for Rizzs. Listening to some of those messages reportedly brought him to tears.
Rizzs’ Baseball Dream Started in a Chicago Basement
Long before Rizzs became synonymous with Mariners baseball, he was a kid growing up on Chicago’s South Side who wanted to sound like Cubs broadcaster Jack Brickhouse.
Rizzs would watch baseball on television with the sound turned down and practice calling the action himself. At 12 years old, he even wrote Brickhouse a letter asking how he could become a Major League broadcaster. Brickhouse wrote back, encouraging the aspiring announcer to get an education, work hard and believe in himself.
After graduating from Southern Illinois University in 1975, Rizzs began the decidedly less glamorous climb toward the majors. His first professional baseball job came with the Double-A Alexandria Aces, where his duties weren’t limited to broadcasting.
He initially took a job that included clubhouse responsibilities along with three innings of play-by-play. He eventually called minor-league baseball in Alexandria, Amarillo and Memphis before moving to Columbus, where he broadcast Triple-A baseball and Ohio State football.
Rizzs was named Ohio Sportscaster of the Year in 1981. Two years later, the Mariners hired him to work alongside Dave Niehaus.
Dave Niehaus Became More Than a Broadcast Partner
Rizzs worked his first nine Mariners seasons from 1983 through 1991, but perhaps the most important relationship of his career was the one he formed with Niehaus.
Rizzs has said he had opportunities to leave Seattle early in his tenure, including possibilities with the Angels and White Sox, but chose to remain alongside Niehaus. He wanted stability, but he also wanted to learn from one of baseball’s great storytellers.
The two ultimately spent 25 seasons together in Seattle.
Rizzs left Seattle after the 1991 season to become the lead voice of the Detroit Tigers, taking over after legendary broadcaster Ernie Harwell’s controversial departure. It was an almost impossible assignment. Tigers fans wanted Harwell back, and Rizzs later recalled the intense pressure surrounding his three seasons in Detroit.
Rizzs’ contract was not renewed following the 1994 season.
Rizzs Returned Just in Time for Mariners History
Rizzs returned to the Mariners in 1995, perhaps the most important season in franchise history.
Seattle’s late-season surge culminated in the decisive Game 5 of the ALDS against the New York Yankees, when Edgar Martinez ripped a double down the left-field line and Ken Griffey Jr. raced home with the winning run.
Rizzs has called “The Double” the play with which he will always be associated. He later recalled becoming so caught up in Griffey’s dash around the bases that he removed his headphones and began jumping around the booth as Griffey headed for home.
That season helped secure the Mariners’ future in Seattle, and Rizzs remained for everything that followed.
He was there for Griffey, Edgar Martinez, Randy Johnson and Ichiro Suzuki. He called the 116-win 2001 season. He remained through the two-decade postseason drought and was behind the microphone as another generation led by Julio Rodríguez and Cal Raleigh brought playoff baseball back to Seattle.
Rizzs continued using Niehaus’ beloved “Grand Salami” tradition when the Mariners hit a bases-loaded home run. As Rizzs explained during his farewell week, preserving those phrases was one way of making sure younger fans remembered the man who helped define Mariners baseball before him.
Rizzs eventually surpassed his mentor in one notable category. His 41 Mariners seasons make him the longest-tenured broadcaster in franchise history, passing Niehaus’ 34.
Rizzs’ Mariners Legacy Goes Well Beyond Baseball
In 1995, Rizzs and former Mariners outfielder Dave Henderson founded Toys for Kids after the two reportedly saw a television report about homelessness while sitting together after a game and began wondering what Christmas would look like for those families’ children.
The first effort raised approximately $18,000 and purchased hundreds of toys.
According to the Mariners, Toys for Kids has purchased new toys for more than 360,000 children in the Pacific Northwest. The organization has also awarded 80 $5,000 college scholarships honoring Henderson and created Rick’s Locker, a program providing baseball equipment to children who otherwise might not have access to it.
Raleigh Has His Own Tribute for Rizzs
One of the best tributes of farewell weekend is coming directly from the Mariners clubhouse.
Raleigh surprised Rizzs this week by unveiling a specially designed chest protector honoring the broadcaster, which the Mariners catcher plans to wear during Rizzs’ final weekend.
Raleigh also offered perhaps the simplest explanation for why Rizzs became such an institution in Seattle.
“When you think of baseball, you think of hot dogs, green grass, summer days, and the radio announcer,” Raleigh said. “And you’re like, ‘That’s Rick for Seattle.'”
Even Tucker, the Mariners’ clubhouse dog, has gotten involved in the farewell. MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer reported that Tucker, who apparently knows Rizzs as a reliable source of treats, had been unusually attached to him during his final week. When Mariners employees and players surprised Rizzs on Friday wearing “Holy Smokes!” shirts, Tucker had one on, too.
Rizzs Isn’t Completely Leaving the Mariners
Sunday’s game will end Rizzs’ remarkable run as Seattle’s regular radio voice, but it won’t end his association with the organization.
The Mariners announced in August that Rizzs will become the 12th member of the Mariners Hall of Fame in 2027. He will join Niehaus as only the second non-uniformed member to receive the honor.
Rizzs also plans to remain involved with the club as an ambassador and has said he expects to continue making appearances at spring training.
Retirement will finally give him something a baseball broadcaster rarely gets during the summer: control of his own calendar. Rizzs has talked about spending more time with his grandchildren, playing golf and traveling, including a trip to Italy.
“I want to get on a plane that I want to get on,” Rizzs joked when announcing his retirement. “I want to go to a place that I want to go. I want to go to Italy and eat my brains out.”
There will undoubtedly be emotion in the booth on Sunday. Rizzs readily admits he’s a crier, he recently joked that even Hallmark commercials can get him, and said this week that he’ll have tissues nearby for his final broadcast.
After 52 years in professional baseball, that’s understandable.
Mariners Icon Rick Rizzs Set for Emotional Farewell After 41 Seasons