Randy Johnson's No. 51 Jersey to Be Retired by Mariners During 2026 MLB Season

The Seattle Mariners announced Monday that Hall of Fame pitcher Randy Johnson will have his iconic No. 51 jersey retired in a pregame ceremony at some point during the 2026 season.

"Randy is both one of the greatest pitchers in Major League Baseball history, and one of the most important figures in our organization's history,” team chairman and managing partner John Stanton said in a statement. "During the 1995 season that changed the future of this franchise, his 18-2 record (in a 145-game season) was properly recognized with his first Cy Young Award. More importantly, and somewhat lost to history, the Mariners were an amazing 27-3 in his 30 starts that season, an incredible 24 games over .500, compared to a record of 52-63 when any other starter took to the hill for the club. His domination that year carried the Mariners to our first-ever postseason, which led directly to the construction of T-Mobile Park and the Mariners remaining safely in Seattle forever. Randy's extraordinary accomplishments will forever be remembered and recognized with the retirement of his number 51."

Johnson will be just the fifth player in team history to have his number retired, joining Ken Griffey Jr. (No. 24), Edgar Martínez (No. 11), Ichiro Suzuki (No. 51) and Jackie Robinson (whose No. 42 jersey has been retired by all MLB teams).

The man they called the Big Unit spent parts of 10 seasons in Seattle (1989-98), going 130-74 with a 3.42 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 2,162 strikeouts and a 39.0 WAR in 1,838.1 innings.

He was a five-time All-Star for the Mariners and won the first of his five Cy Young awards with the team in 1995.

Of note, Johnson struck out 19 batters during a game two separate times during the 1997 season, including once against the Chicago White Sox:

He would later strike out 20 batters in a game as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

While his time with the Diamondbacks solidified his place as an all-time great—he was a five-time All-Star, four-time Cy Young winner, one-time champion and had an absurd 48.0 WAR across his first six seasons with the organization—he truly emerged as a household name in Seattle and helped resurrect a floundering franchise alongside players like Griffey, Martínez, Jay Buhner and Alex Rodriguez.

That core group led the team to its first-ever playoff appearance in 1995, ending an 18-year drought dating back to the team's inception as an expansion franchise in 1977.

Johnson chose to represent the Diamondbacks when elected to the Hall of Fame in 2015 and had his number retired by the team that same year. Now, the Mariners are bestowing the same honor upon him, making his jersey the second No. 51 retired by the franchise.