Seattle was once rocked by the roar of Randy Johnson. His 100-mph fastballs, his MLB-shaking sliders, and his towering 6-foot-3 mound — all of it made him one of the most feared figures in baseball history. But today, the city was rocked by something else: Randy Johnson officially sent his final tribute to the fans, signaling that his retirement from baseball was truly near.
Not a 5,000th strikeout. Not a grand celebration. It was just a share, a thank you — but it made Seattle fans’ hearts clench.
“I’ve lived a life where baseball has given me more than I ever dreamed.”
In the video posted by the Mariners this morning, Randy Johnson appears simple — no legendary No. 51 jersey, no glove, no hat, just a man from a glorious past looking back on his journey.
His voice is low, sometimes choked:
“Seattle is where I went from being a wild pitcher to a warrior. You — the fans — are the reason I never gave up.”
Just one sentence, but it brought tears to thousands of comments. Because, only Mariners fans know what they witnessed from Johnson:
a giant pitcher who lost control and threw out of the strike zone to the point of being laughed at; then became the destroyer of the AL West; then became the symbol of the entire city.
A career is not just about titles, but a story of will
Randy Johnson was never “perfect.” He was not a natural genius like Greg Maddux. He had to build his career through pain, through thousands of misfires, through countless shutouts.
But it was that journey that made Seattle love him, love him so much that he could never forget.
Randy Johnson brings:
5 Cy Young Awards
The most haunting unit for late 20th-century hitters
A true explosive hit — the ill-fated bird of 2001
A warrior’s heart that Seattle will forever consider a symbol
In his tribute, he did not mention records, did not mention titles. He only said two things: The Mariners changed my life, and the fans made me who I am today.
The real tears came when he talked about Seattle
The part that hurt fans the most, perhaps, was the end of the video — when Randy Johnson stood in front of the empty stands at T-Mobile Park, reaching out to touch the seats as if touching a memory:
“I won’t pitch anymore. But my heart will always be here.”
An MLB icon, a Seattle legend, saying goodbye in a way that was so simple it was heartbreaking.
The silence of the city — and the moment no one wanted to come
As the news spread, Seattle fell silent. On social media, fans shared their most memorable moments:
“That strikeout against the Yankees in 1995 — I cried!”
“Big Unit is why I love baseball.”
“No one is as scary and honorable as you.”
And then a comment shared tens of thousands of times:
“We grew up with the sound of your pitch.”
A Legend Leaves the Field, But Not the Hearts of Mariners Fans
Nobody wanted to say goodbye. But the time had come.
Randy Johnson wasn’t just leaving the field. He was leaving the spotlight, the media, the world that had brought him to the top — to return to being a photographer, a father, a normal person after extraordinary years.
Before the video ended, he sent his final words:
“Thank you Seattle… for giving me a home to come back to.”
And that was the moment that broke the heart of the entire city — because sometimes, the hardest throws don’t come from the arm, but from the love for the place that raised you.
Randy Johnson may retire.
But the legend of “Big Unit” never will.
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