On the 35th anniversary of Randy Johnson throwing the first no-hitter in Seattle Mariners history, the team plans to honor the five-time Cy Young Award winner and his historic career.
Already a member of the Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame, the team knew there was only one thing left to do to fully honor his legacy.
Seattle Mariners to Retire Randy Johnson’s Number
Johnson threw his no-hitter against the Detroit Tigers in a 2-0 Mariners victory in 1990. In the game, Johnson walked six and struck out eight. Not surprisingly, Johnson held a bloated pitch count (138 pitches) by the time he recorded the final out.
In the modern game, it’s rare to see starting pitchers go nine innings, even if they have a no-hitter intact. On top of that, fewer pitchers are even reaching the 100-pitch count before being removed from the game. A pitcher throwing 138 pitches today would draw national headlines and might even get a manager fired.
Nonetheless, Johnson still had an excellent outing that day. Despite all the walks, nearly 64 percent of his pitches in the outing were strikes. With the win, Johnson improved his record to 4-3 on the season with a 4.10 ERA.
On the 35th anniversary of Randy Johnson’s no-hitter with the Seattle Mariners, the first in franchise history, the club announces that they are retiring the Hall of Famer’s number.
Johnson’s number is also retired with the Arizona Diamondbacks— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) June 2, 2025
Dominance like this is synonymous with Johnson’s legacy, and he undoubtedly deserves to have his number retired. In fact, it’s hard to believe that this honor wasn’t already bestowed upon him in Seattle.
With the Mariners officially retiring No. 51 in honor of Johnson, “The Big Unit” is now one of the few players in MLB history to have No. 51 retired with two different organizations. The Arizona Diamondbacks retired his number back in 2015, five years after he retired (and right after he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot).
Randy Johnson Hall of Fame Career
Johnson made his name in Seattle. However, he made his debut with the Montreal Expos in 1988. Following a mid-season trade to Seattle, Johnson’s career took off with the Mariners. He dominated in the Pacific Northwest from 1989-98, the longest stretch of his career that he played for one team.
Big Unit. Bigger legacy.
We’re thrilled to announce that we’ll be retiring Randy Johnson’s No. 5️⃣1️⃣ at @TMobilePark in 2026!
🔗 https://t.co/qV7AMmOPic pic.twitter.com/tHIJmuk40r
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) June 2, 2025
Starting in 1990, Johnson led the league in strikeouts for 10 straight seasons. He also earned his first All-Star honors that year and would go on to make 10 All-Star teams in his career.
The left-hander would later join the Arizona Diamondbacks in two separate stints. However, it’s his first tenure with Arizona that Johnson cemented his legacy in baseball and became an icon with a second franchise. Johnson helped lead the Diamondbacks to their first and only World Series championship in 2003 and split the World Series MVP honors with fellow ace Curt Schilling.
Johnson also played for the Houston Astros, New York Yankees, and San Francisco Giants. With these teams, perhaps the most iconic moment was with the Giants when Johnson won his 300th career game in his final season.
Johnson’s no-hitter gets lost in all of his accomplishments and his huge legacy in baseball. That said, Johnson was a hero and an icon for many of the game’s top starters in subsequent generations.