The Senate today paused for a moment from considering bills to honor one of the state’s most beloved sports teams.
The Senate adopted a resolution celebrating the 2025 Seattle Mariners’ historic season and Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh. The resolution, sponsored by 9th District Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, may be seen here.
“The 2025 Mariners provided us with such a great season and so many exciting moments,” said Schoesler. “I think I speak for everyone here and around our state when I say how proud we are of the M’s. They came so close to finally reaching the World Series and we’re hopeful they will finally make it there in 2026. They are the kind of team that you want to root for.
“For years to come, we’ll remember the names of Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodriguez, J.P. Crawford, Josh Naylor, Jorge Polanco, Geno Suárez , Randy Arozarena, Bryan Woo, Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Andrés Muñoz and others. Thanks for a great season and for all of the wonderful memories,” added Schoesler.
Several Mariners officials visited the Senate chamber for the resolution, including President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto, Vice President and Assistant General Manager Justin Hollander, Manager Dan Wilson, Vice President of Communications Tim Hevly and Rick Rizzs, the team’s iconic lead radio broadcaster who recently announced he will retire at the end of the 2026 season.
Here is the text of the resolution:
SENATE RESOLUTION 8676
By Senators Schoesler, Boehnke, Chapman, Christian, MacEwen, Nobles, Pedersen, Riccelli, Robinson, Shewmake, Warnick, C. Wilson, Dozier, Goehner, Hasegawa, Krishnadasan, Lovelett, Lovick, Orwall, Saldaña, Short, Slatter, Valdez, Holy, Trudeau, and Wellman
WHEREAS, The Seattle Mariners entered the 2025 Major League Baseball season with four American League West Division titles and five playoff appearances since the franchise began in 1977; and
WHEREAS, The Mariners lost two starting position players early in the 2025 season, right fielder Victor Robles and second baseman Ryan Bliss, with only Robles returning five months later; and
WHEREAS, Starting pitchers Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, and Bryce Miller missed many starts during the season due to injuries; and
WHEREAS, The absence of these talented players contributed to the Mariners having a 73-68 record as of September 5th and trailing the defending American League West Division champion Houston Astros by 3.5 games in the AL West standings; and
WHEREAS, The Mariners then went on a 10-game winning streak and won 17 of 18 games to finish the regular season with a 90-72 record and win the division title by three games; and
WHEREAS, Catcher Cal Raleigh finished the season with 60 home runs, 125 runs batted in, 110 runs scored, a .247 batting average and a .589 slugging percentage, as well as stellar defensive play to lead the Mariners to their first division title in 24 years; and
WHEREAS, The Mariners defeated the Detroit Tigers in an American League Divisional Series three games to two, capped by a 3-2 victory in 15 innings that ended on Jorge Polanco’s bases loaded single that scored J.P. Crawford with the winning run before a sold-out and frantic T-Mobile Park crowd; and
WHEREAS, The Mariners and the Toronto Blue Jays split the first four games of the American League Championship Series; and
WHEREAS, Seattle trailed Toronto 2-1 entering the eighth inning of Game 5 at T-Mobile Park until Cal Raleigh hit a solo home run to tie the game, followed by a grand slam home run by third baseman Eugenio Suárez that gave the Mariners a thrilling 6-2 win and a 3-2 lead in the playoff series; and
WHEREAS, After their opponents tied the series again the Mariners fought valiantly but lost 4-3 in the deciding Game 7 to barely miss going to the World Series for the first time in the team’s history; and
WHEREAS, Former longtime Mariners catcher Dan Wilson, a member of every Mariners team to reach the playoffs, led the team to a division title in his first full season as the Mariners manager, and finished third in voting for the 2025 American League Manager of the Year Award; and
WHEREAS, Cal Raleigh, despite setting the MLB record for home runs by a catcher in a season, shattering Mickey Mantle’s record for home runs by a switch hitter, setting a new Mariners home run record, and playing the most physically demanding position on the baseball field, was robbed by national baseball writers when they did not choose him as the American League Most Valuable Player; and
WHEREAS, Cal Raleigh and Mariners center fielder Julio Rodríguez were named to the all-MLB first team and Mariners starting pitcher Bryan Woo and closer Andrés Muñoz were named to the second team; and
WHEREAS, Mariners President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto was named Baseball America Executive of the Year in December; and
WHEREAS, The Mariners will celebrate their 50th anniversary season in 2026;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate congratulate the 2025 Seattle Mariners on winning the American League West Division and coming so close to finally reaching the World Series, and congratulate Cal Raleigh on his historic Mariners Nation MVP season.
(CAPTION: Mariners Manager Dan Wilson (left) and team broadcaster Rick Rizzs (right) sit on the Senate rostrum while Senate Resolution 8676 is adopted on the Senate floor.)