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Rick Rizzs to retire as radio voice of the Mariners after 2026 season

FILE - Rick Rizzs, Seattle Mariners radio broadcaster, poses with a talking bottle opener while handing them out before a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, June 23, 2019, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer, File) Photo: Associated Press


SEATTLE, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – The longtime voice of the Seattle Mariners is calling it a career.

The team announced on Tuesday, Jan. 27 that radio play-by-play announcer Rick Rizzs plans to retire at the end of the 2026 season.

Rizzs is coming up on his 41st season as the Mariners’ broadcaster, the most in team history.

“Calling Mariners games has been the highlight of my life and having the chance to connect with managers, coaches, players, clubhouse personnel, my colleagues in the booth, those in the front office, but especially the great fans here in the Pacific Northwest has made it unbelievably special,” Rizzs said.

He’s been on the call for many of the club’s biggest moments, including their run in 1995 and their historic team in 2001.

Rizzs celebrated his 72nd birthday in November and says he wants to spend more time at home with his grandkids.

This upcoming season will be the Mariners’ 50th anniversary as a franchise.

It comes after they made their deepest run in franchise history last year, coming within several outs of their first-ever World Series appearance.

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