Mariners claim Luke Weaver, Robbie Ray’s anthem standoff adversary
Oct 26, 2022, 3:24 PM
Luke Weaver pitches for the Kansas City Royals against the Detroit Tigers on Sept. 9, 2022. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
The Seattle Mariners have added a new pitcher to their staff, and this name might be a little familiar to fans.
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Seattle announced Wednesday afternoon it has claimed right-hander Luke Weaver from the Kansas City Royals, and the reason you may know his name is because he was the other half of the national anthem standoff that Mariners pitcher Robbie Ray “won” during a game at Kansas City on Sept. 25.
Weaver, 29, remained on the field following the playing of the anthem prior to that game opposite Ray, who was his former teammate with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Their standoff actually delayed the start of game and earned them both ejections – not that it mattered as it was neither player’s day to pitch. Weaver was the first to retreat to the dugout after the ejections were handed out, resulting in Ray getting the moral victory and eliciting an enthusiastic response from Mariners announcer Aaron Goldsmith on the ROOT Sports broadcast.
"It's a TKO! Robbie Ray, the heavyweight champ!" pic.twitter.com/u9gBwgrglr
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) September 25, 2022
As for Weaver as a player, he is a former first-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2014. He spent three MLB seasons with St. Louis, then 3 1/2 with Arizona, coming to the Diamondbacks in the trade that sent All-Star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt to the Cardinals. Weaver landed with Kansas City in a trade deadline deal on Aug. 1.
In 2022, Weaver appeared in 26 games with one start between Arizona and Kansas City, posting a 6.56 ERA and 1.822 WHIP with 38 strikeouts to 13 walks over 35 2/3 innings. He missed significant time in the first half of the year due to right elbow inflammation.
He had strong years in 2019 and 2021 with the Diamondbacks, however. In 2021, he had a 4.35 ERA over 13 starts, and in 2019 posted a 2.94 ERA over 12 starts.
The Mariners added Weaver to their 40-man roster, designating outfielder Derek Hill for assignment to make room.
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