Seattle Mariners Honor Family of Late Rickey Henderson Before Opening Day

Before they played against the Athletics on Thursday, the Mariners brought out the family of Henderson, who played for both teams over a 25-year career. He died in December of 2024.

Seattle Mariners hitting coach Edgar Martinez (11) and MLB Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson pose for a photo before the game between the Seattle Mariners and the Oakland Athletics at T-Mobile Park in 2024. | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

SEATTLE - The Seattle Mariners beat the Athletics 4-2 on Thursday night to start the season off on a positive note. The M's offense was listless through the first six innings, but they got a run in the seventh and three in the eighth to secure the victory.

While the Jorge Polanco go-ahead homer in the eighth was a great moment, there were other great moments on Opening Day as well, including two before the game.

Ichiro threw out the ceremonial first pitch, registering 84.5 MPH on the radar gun, and the team honored the family of Rickey Henderson, who died in Dec. of 2024.

Dan Wilson and Mark Kotsay pay respects to Rickey Henderson’s family. #TridentsUp pic.twitter.com/wwBe2YM929

— Brady Farkas (@RefuseToLosePod) March 28, 2025

Henderson had a 25-year career with the Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays and Mariners. He is baseball's all-time leader in stolen bases (1,406) and runs scored (2,295). He spent part of the 2000 season with the Mariners, helping Seattle get to the ALCS where they lost to the New York Yankees in six games.

He was inducted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009.

Henderson had been in Seattle at the end of last season, throwing out the ceremonial first pitch for Game 162 between the Mariners and Athletics. That marked the final game in the history of the "Oakland" A's, who are playing this season in Sacramento before an eventual move to Las Vegas.

The Mariners and Athletics will play again on Friday night with first pitch at 6:40 p.m. PT. Luis Castillo takes the mound for the M's.

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