2026 will be Rick Rizzs’ last season as voice of the Mariners

Rick Rizzs, the longtime voice of the Seattle Mariners, has announced that the 2026 season will be his last.

Rizzs will remain on the Mariners Radio Network call on Seattle Sports this year, which will be his 41st season as an M’s broadcaster, the most in team history.

Drayer: This is an opportunity for M’s fans to celebrate Rick Rizzs

Rizzs first joined the Mariners in 1983. Other than a three-season stint with the Detroit Tigers from 1992-94, Rizzs has spent his entire MLB broadcasting career with the Mariners.

Rizzs shared a statement in a press release from the Mariners:

I’ve been blessed to live my dream as a baseball play-by-play announcer for the past 51 seasons, including 43 amazing seasons calling Major League baseball, 40 with the Seattle Mariners, three with the Detroit Tigers and eight in the minor leagues. I can honestly say I’ve loved every minute, from my 25 years with the great Dave Niehaus and my friend, producer-engineer Kevin Cremin to my current partners, Gary Hill and Aaron Goldsmith.

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.

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.

So, with the support of those who have given me the opportunity to broadcast Mariners baseball all these years, I’m ready to let everyone know that the 2026 season will be my final year in the Mariners broadcast booth. I plan to broadcast the home games every day paired with a reduced schedule of road games. But, believe me, I’ll be on hand to be at every Postseason game all the way to the World Series!

The 72-year-old Rizzs is a beloved figure for M’s fans, known for an optimistic delivery that includes sharing the “happy totals” after Mariners wins. His trademark calls includes “Goodbye, baseball!” on M’s home runs and the refrain of “Everybody scores!” during particularly momentus grand slams, something that goes back to Luis Sojo clearing the bases on a Little League home run that helped the Mariners beat the Angels in 1995 to clinch the team’s first-ever postseason appearance.

Rizzs has been on the call for countless big moments in Mariners history, covering the amazing 1995 run, the historic 2001 team, the drought-breaking 2022 squad, and the 2025 M’s who came closer to the World Series than any other team in franchise history.

In 2017, Rizzs received the Keith Jackson Award from the Seattle Sports Commission for excellence in communicating the sports stories of Washington state.

A Chicago native and graduate of Southern Illinois University, Rizzs began his broadcasting career in 1975 calling Double-A baseball games. In 1981, he was hired as sports director for WBNS in Columbus, Ohio, where he added Ohio State football to his play-by-play résumé.

In Seattle, Rizzs formed a memorable partnership with Dave Niehaus, the original voice of the Mariners who won the Baseball Hall of Fame’s Ford C. Frick Award in 2008. Following Niehaus’ passing in 2010, Rizzs’ primary broadcasting partners have included Aaron Goldsmith, Dave Sims, and most recently Gary Hill Jr.

Rizzs, who split time between the radio and TV broadcasts for the Mariners in the past, has been the lead radio play-by-play announcer since 2007.

Away from the field, Rizzs heads up Toys For Kids, a non-profit organization that provides Christmas presents for area children in need. Toys for Kids has purchased toys for over 360,000 Pacific Northwest kids, and has awarded 80 $5,000 college scholarships over the past 10 years in honor of the late Dave Henderson, a former Mariners player and broadcaster who co-founded the organization with Rizzs. Toys For Kids has also purchased baseball equipment for youth teams and renovated area Little League fields.

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