The Mariners statue will feature Mike Cameron and Mark McLemore and also honor the 25th anniversary of the tragic events on Sept. 11 in 2001.
In a prime example of time seeming to go by far too quickly, this year will signal 25 years since the Seattle Mariners won 116 regular season games and tied the Major League record for wins in the modern era (dating back to 1901). On Sunday, the organization announced that they will commemorate the 25th anniversary of this historic event with a new statue at T-Mobile Park.
The statue will be unveiled in a ceremony on Sept. 3 prior to a game versus the Athletics, and be displayed in the Center Field Plaza at T-Mobile Park. It will depict the iconic image of Mike Cameron and Mark McLemore raising the American flag on Sept. 19 in 2001, after the Mariners clinched the American League West title.
The game that night against the then-Anaheim Angels was only the Mariners’ second one since Major League baseball suspended play for seven days following the horrific events on Sept. 11. As such it was no surprise that the players’ celebration of winning their division was subdued, but then came a sequence of events which will forever be special.
Mariners long-time video coordinator Carl Hamilton, a Marine veteran, brought the American flag onto the field and began waving it with Stan Javier. Then McLemore took the flag to the pitcher’s mound where the team gathered around it and kneeled in prayer, with public address announcer Tom Hutyler asked the sold-out crowd of 45,459 for a moment of silence.
Next, McLemore slowly took the American flag around the bases followed by the entire team and upon reaching home base, he and Cameron raised it high as the team emotionally saluted the fans inside T-Mobile Park. There is no more fitting an image to commemorate via statue for an occasion which ran the gamut of emotions.
Mariners honored to commemorate the event
The Mariners released a statement from club chairman and managing partner John Stanton. He said:
“We’re honored to commemorate one of the most meaningful moments in both American history and the history of the Mariners. Baseball has always brought communities together, and the 2001 team embodied that spirit during a time when our country needed connection, hope and healing.”
For Cameron personally, the 2001 campaign was arguably the best of his 17 years in the majors, as he was named an All-Star for the only time. He set single-season bests with a 5.9 bWAR, 110 RBI and 123 OPS+, won the first of two career Gold Gloves and finished 16th in voting for AL MVP.
However, none of this compares to what the team did for the fans, the city and the country as a whole on that night of Sept. 19 in 2001. Speaking about it on Sunday to Daniel Kramer of MLB.com, the 53-year-old admitted he didn’t entirely understand at the time what the moment would mean, as he said
“There are just so many different aspects that tie in that I can think about now that I wasn’t thinking about when I was 27 or 28 years old. I just grabbed that thing and kind of tipped our caps to the fans, and the fanatics and just brought it in. I didn’t know that was going to be an iconic moment for this organization.”
The spontaneous actions forever remembered
Not that it matters that Cameron didn’t fully appreciate at the time what he and his teammates were doing. In fact, that the sequence of events was unplanned only increases our respect for them, given that it alluded to an instinct which proved to be just perfect under the circumstances.
The ability to find an ideal balance in the midst of dominating a Major League season like no one since the 1906 Chicago Cubs, between celebrating winning the division and still being respectful and compassionate endures as one the biggest moments for a franchise set to celebrate its 50th season. Cameron said:
“At the time, there was a lot of uncertainty. There was a lot of craziness going on, where we just didn’t know. And the symbolic thing of tying people together when we have something of this nature, and the fans, the only way we could do it was from this part of the country was to salute and tie in the united part of the team and also baseball.”
Fans attending the Sept. 3 game against the Athletics will have the first opportunity to view and interact with the statue in the Center Field Plaza. If you would like to be at the game, tickets are on sale now at Mariners.com/Tickets.
Photos courtesy of Tim Rogers Photography & Mariners Media
- Seahawks Rookie Camp Day 1 Highlights
- Exploring Jadarian Price’s Impact on Seahawks’ Offense
- Seattle Storm’s Preseason Breakdown: Stats and Highlights
- Mariners complete strong road trip but Matt Brash causes concern
- Key Takeaways from Seattle Storm’s Thrilling Preseason Match
Discover more from Cascadiasports.net
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
