SEATTLE — Mariners baseball is known for its iconic moments that capture the attention of its fanbase and even the entire baseball world. The rally shoe, the Etsy Witch, Rick Rizzs’s Cheetos, the Dancing Fan — whatever you name it.
We saw another of those iconic moments Sunday that, should the team go on a deep playoff run, could be something we talk about for years.
Lifelong Mariners fan, Saul Spady, was captured by the Fox Sports crew’s cameras after Julio Rodriguez delivered the game-winning RBI double that delivered the M’s to victory.
Spady was moved to tears, with his fiancée Shakira removing those tears, and even clearing the condensation from his glasses in a heartfelt moment. One that summed up 24 years, perhaps even longer, of Mariners’ fan frustration being let out.
Spady, moved to tears again during our conversation, told us why this matters so much.
“I’m a lifelong Mariners fan. I bought tickets and flew to Toronto (in 2022) because I thought I’d never get another chance to see a Mariners playoff game. What if we didn’t win that series three years ago?” Spady said. “Look, we all have these moments that I think align with baseball that we’ve experienced, and baseball is life. It’s this repetitive candle of belief that always burns out, every year. And this year the candle burns one more day.”
How can you not be romantic about baseball and the Mariners?
Spady says that he and his fiancée were going to be in Houston in 2022, but had a personal loss they were dealing with that prevented it. Now, there’s a new playoff run, one that feels like it has more hope than ever before. For Spady, it is another moment of hope for the team he’s loved his entire life.
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“I was caught on camera crying because I’ve been a lifelong Mariners fan,” Spady said. “It’s the players that we’ve grown up following. I’ve seen Julio Rodriguez become a man. I’ve seen Cal Raleigh become the Big Dumper like a folk legend. I’ve never had a mustache my whole life. I don’t look good with a mustache. But I’m mustache-ing, I’m big-dumping, and I’m all in baby! It’s epic.”
Spady wants fans to know he’ll be watching Game 3 at the Queen Anne Beer Hall because he wants to share this moment with his fellow Mariners faithful.
Clearly Saul shares the emotions of so many. At the very least, decades of frustration waiting for another playoff bid are over. But that’s what’s special about the Mariners. It’s a family affair, the love of this team, and eternal hope are just passed on from generation to generation. When the big moments arrive, you savor them, as a story to pass on to the next Mariner-Moose-loving crop of fans.
And maybe, just maybe, after nearly 50 years of dreaming and hoping for a World Series title, that long wait could come to an end as well.