Rick Rizzs Signed Off, and “Holy Smokes!” Became Seattle’s Farewell Phrase
For generations of Mariners fans, baseball arrived through a radio before it became a replay. On September 27, 2026, Rick Rizzs called his final Seattle game, closing 41 seasons behind the Mariners microphone with one last afternoon at T-Mobile Park.
The final out mattered, but the sound around it mattered more. Seattle beat the Los Angeles Angels 7–3 on Sunday afternoon, yet Game 162 had stopped feeling like a normal season finale well before first pitch. Players emerged behind home plate and collectively tipped their caps toward the radio booth. Ken Griffey Jr., Jay Buhner, Ichiro Suzuki, Alvin Davis and Jamie Moyer were among the franchise figures back in the building. Rick Rizzs looked down from above the field and struggled to hold himself together.
That was the emotional logic of the entire weekend. Rizzs was not simply a broadcaster leaving a job. He was the voice that connected different versions of Mariners baseball — the Kingdome years, 1995, 2001, the long stretches between postseason appearances and the current generation at T-Mobile Park.
His 2026 farewell closed 41 seasons with Seattle and 52 seasons in professional baseball broadcasting. That kind of longevity turns familiar phrases into something close to civic memory. For Mariners listeners, two of the most recognizable were “Goodbye, baseball!” on home runs and the wonderfully spontaneous reaction that became the center of the farewell campaign: “Holy Smokes!”
Seattle Turned a Catchphrase Into the Official Goodbye
“Holy Smokes!” was already Rizzs language long before retirement entered the conversation. It worked because it sounded instinctive rather than manufactured — the sort of thing a person actually blurts out when a baseball disappears into the seats or an impossible defensive play suddenly changes an inning.
When Seattle planned Rick Rizzs Farewell Weekend for September 25–27, the organization recognized that connection. The Mariners created a “Holy Smokes” hotline where fans could leave personal messages. A special ticket package for the regular-season finale included a white Rick Rizzs “Holy Smokes!” shirt. Players and employees surprised him during the final weekend wearing the same farewell theme.
Cal Raleigh took the tribute in another direction. The Mariners catcher had a custom chest protector made with images tied to Rizzs’ career, including Rick, Ken Griffey Jr. and late broadcast partner Dave Niehaus. Across it sat the same phrase: “Holy Smokes.”
The strongest farewell symbol was not a career statistic. It was two words Seattle fans had heard when Rick Rizzs was happiest about baseball.
The Final Week Was About the Person Behind the Voice
The farewell also revealed why the relationship extended beyond catchphrases. Rizzs’ public personality has always been unusually optimistic. Even during losing seasons, he approached rookies, prospects and struggling players with the same sense that something better might happen tomorrow.
During the final homestand, even Tucker — the Mariners’ clubhouse dog — became part of that story. MLB photographed Rizzs alongside the yellow Labrador-retriever mix, a familiar clubhouse companion who knew the broadcaster as a reliable source of treats.
Dave Niehaus Is Still Inside the Story
It is difficult to tell the Rizzs story without Dave Niehaus. Rizzs originally joined Seattle in 1983 and spent 25 seasons working alongside the legendary broadcaster. After three years calling Detroit Tigers games, he returned to Seattle in 1995 — the season that permanently changed the Mariners’ relationship with the city.
Rizzs continued to preserve pieces of Niehaus’ broadcasting vocabulary after his partner died in 2010. A Mariners grand slam could still bring back the rye bread, mustard and “grand salami” tradition. That continuity matters because baseball radio is built on repetition. Familiar voices and phrases allow one generation of fans to hear echoes of another.
“Holy Smokes!” works like an audio timestamp. Fans do not need the box score to remember how Rizzs sounded when Seattle baseball suddenly became exciting.
The Final Sunday Looked Like a Baseball Curtain Call
Sunday brought the full visual farewell. A tribute played on the scoreboard, the Mariners came onto the field to salute the booth, and a crowd of 44,761 watched Rizzs call his final game. Seattle gave him a victory, beating the Angels 7–3 before Rizzs addressed the fans who remained after the final out.
His permanent broadcasting role is over, but his relationship with the organization is not. Seattle plans to keep Rizzs involved as a club ambassador, and in 2027 he will become the 12th member of the Mariners Hall of Fame. He will join Niehaus as one of the rare members honored primarily for what happened behind a microphone rather than between the foul lines.
Why the Farewell Graphic Feels Like Radio Memorabilia
The Holy Smokes Rick Rizzs design belongs to that farewell atmosphere rather than to one play. Its central decision is to make the catchphrase enormous and let Rizzs’ smiling portrait interrupt the typography.
Navy and teal lettering, a vintage halftone portrait and the “Celebrating 5 Decades” line turn the familiar radio reaction into a compact archive of Seattle baseball sound.
View the farewell piece →The visual treatment resembles an old broadcast souvenir rather than a player poster. Navy serif lettering gives the phrase weight; teal keeps it anchored to Seattle; the portrait softens what could otherwise feel like a formal retirement plaque. Most importantly, the artwork preserves something photography cannot fully capture: the phrase fans heard in Rizzs’ own cadence.
Readers looking specifically for Rizzs-related pieces can browse the Rick Rizzs search archive. The broader Seattle Mariners collection tracks the players, broadcaster memories and fan language surrounding the franchise, while the MLB collection places those Seattle moments inside baseball’s wider visual culture.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Rick Rizzs call his final Mariners game?
Rizzs called his final Seattle Mariners broadcast on September 27, 2026, during the regular-season finale against the Los Angeles Angels.
What was the score of Rick Rizzs’ final Mariners game?
Seattle defeated the Angels 7–3 at T-Mobile Park.
Why is “Holy Smokes!” associated with Rick Rizzs?
“Holy Smokes!” became one of Rizzs’ recognizable broadcast reactions and was later used throughout Seattle’s official 2026 farewell celebration.
How many seasons did Rick Rizzs spend with the Mariners?
Rizzs completed 41 seasons broadcasting Seattle Mariners baseball and 52 seasons overall in professional baseball broadcasting.
Will Rick Rizzs enter the Mariners Hall of Fame?
Yes. Seattle announced that Rizzs will become the 12th member of the Mariners Hall of Fame in 2027.
The Holy Smokes graphic preserves the language of Rizzs’ final weekend, while the wider Seattle Mariners archive holds the players, seasons and moments his voice helped turn into memory.
Holy Smokes Rick Rizzs Shirt preserves the signature phrase, Mariners colors and radio personality behind Seattle’s emotional September 27, 2026 farewell to its longtime baseball voice.