Rick Rizzs, iconic voice of the Mariners, announces he will retire after 2026 season
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Seattle Mariners longtime play-by-play commentator Rick Rizzs announced on Tuesday that the upcoming season will be his final one behind the microphone. He's been the team's radio voice since 1983, save for three seasons he spent in Detroit from 1992-94.
“Calling Mariners games has been the highlight of my life,” Rizzs said in a statement released by the team, “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.
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“I can’t thank them enough for the love and support they’ve given me all these years, but the reality is that the time has come for me to step back and spend more time at home with my grandkids.”
Saying goodbye to the sound of Seattle
Naturally, the Mariners are planning a set of special goodbyes for their venerable voice throughout the season. So, Rizzs should have a sensational send-off in Seattle.
“Fans in the Northwest, and all of us at the Mariners, have been blessed to have two of the great hometown radio broadcasters in baseball history call our games since the start of the franchise in 1977,” Mariners chairman and managing partner John Stanton said in a statement. “We look forward to celebrating Rick throughout the 2026 season as he concludes an amazing, Hall of Fame-caliber career.”
Rizzs, who grew up in Chicago and is a 1975 graduate of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, began his broadcasting career in 1976 as a Double-A announcer.
