'Such a wonderful day': Seattle Mariners unveil new Edgar Martinez statue outside T-Mobile Park

“This is such a wonderful day for the Mariners organization, its fans and the entire Seattle sports community,” Seattle Mariners broadcaster Rick Rizz said as he addressed a small crowd gathered outside T-Mobile Park Wednesday.

The infamous voice of the Mariners’ ballpark was in attendance to greet the media, front office members and players sitting in the harsh August sun during a special statue unveiling ceremony for Baseball Hall of Famer and Seattle Mariners legend Edgar Martinez.

“Now as you all know, Edgar was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame back in 2019. Following his induction, during a pre-game ceremony right here at T-Mobile Park, Mariners Chairman and Managing Partner John Stanton announced that a statue in Edgar’s honor would be unveiled right here on Edgar Martinez Drive," Rizz said. "Today, we come together to share this state with Mariners fans from throughout the Northwest, and around the world and especially Puerto Rico."

The statue, which captures the single most famous hit in Mariners history, is fittingly located on Edgar Martinez Drive. It was created by Lou Cella, the Chicago-based artist who also sculpted the statues of Dave Niehaus (2011) and Ken Griffey Jr. (2017).

Edgar Martinez made his major league debut with the Mariners in 1987 before establishing himself as a full-time player in 1990. Martinez is a seven-time All Star, five-time Silver Slugger, and two-time batting champion. He was inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame in 2019 with an 85.4% vote in favor.

“When I was in Puerto Rico as a kid, I was dreaming about being like Roberto Clemente. I wanted to be a star. I had the dream and I dreamed every day. That dream of mine, in some way, has become reality. But in that dream, I never thought about having a statue with my name on it, so thank you,” Martinez said with a crack in his voice, holding tears back behind his dark sunglasses.

Edgar Martinez won the Roberto Clemente Award in the 2004 offseason, following the announcement of his retirement from the game.

“As I started to get to know the Mariners in general and work on these other projects, I really got a sense of the personal nature of it,” Cella said in a press conference following the statue unveiling. “I’m looking at every little detail happening and I’m feeling like I want to get a personality out of it.”

The statue was created from a photograph of Edgar Martinez hitting “the Double.” In game five of the 1995 American League Division Series, Martinez hit a double, allowing the Mariners to win the game. Trailing by one point at the bottom of the 11th inning, Martinez’s hit drove in Joey Cora from third base and Ken Griffey Jr. from first base, giving the Mariners a 6-5 victory over the Yankees.  The play is referred to as the “biggest hit in franchise history.”

Fans can see the new statue and Martinez, who is scheduled to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Mariners take on the Texas Rangers, at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday at T-Mobile Park.