Longtime announcer for Mariners’ Triple-A affiliate to retire
Nov 20, 2024, 10:49 AM
Baseballs sit in a glove as the Seattle Mariners warm up before a game against the Los Angeles Angels. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
(Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
The longtime voice of the Seattle Mariners’ Triple-A affiliate, the Tacoma Rainiers, is calling it a career.
Seattle Mariners have a new TV situation, according to The Athletic
Mike Curto will retire at the end of the 2024 calendar year, the Rainiers announced on Wednesday morning. It will mark the end of 31 years broadcasting in baseball’s minor leagues for Curto, including 26 with the Rainiers.
“I just want to thank the fans for welcoming my voice and broadcast into their homes and cars,” Curto said in an article on the Rainiers website. “Without their support over these years, my career would not have been possible.”
Congratulations to Rainiers broadcaster Mike Curto on an incredible career and well-deserved retirement! After 25 seasons as the voice of the Rainiers, we thank him for his dedication to R team. #WeRTacoma https://t.co/kZElf1MVM6 pic.twitter.com/68QhEVaV1B
— Tacoma Rainiers (@RainiersLand) November 20, 2024
According to the Rainiers, Curto’s 25 seasons in the broadcast booth is the longest of any play-by-play announcer in the history of the Tacoma franchise, which dates back to 1960.
Rainiers team president Aaron Artman called Curto a “true ambassador for the game” in a statement.
“Mike Curto had a huge impact on the Rainiers and professional baseball in the Pacific Northwest. His legacy extends well beyond the airwaves with the impact he has had on people within our organization and in the broader baseball community,” Artman said.
Curto shared a longer statement in a post at WeRTacoma.com, where he frequently writes.
“It is with much happiness that after 31 years as a minor league broadcaster, including the last 26 with the Tacoma Rainiers, it is time to announce my retirement,” Curto wrote. “This decision was entirely my own, and was over a year in the making. Throughout the 2024 season I knew it was likely my last visit to the various ballparks of the Pacific Coast League, and I took a final look around to remember them.”
You can read the full post by Curto at this link.
In addition to Tacoma needing to fill Curto’s spot for next season, the Mariners could be looking for another announcer in their own broadcasting booth with Dave Sims becoming the new radio voice of the New York Yankees in 2025.
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