The Seattle Mariners today announced that Gary Hill Jr. has been named to the role of Executive Producer/Engineer for Mariners radio broadcasts.
"Gary is like a five-tool ballplayer. He can do it all. He's a creative producer, host, play-by-play announcer, content creator and he has a knack for translating statistics so the numbers tell a story. We're excited about what Gary will bring to Mariners baseball as a full-time member of our broadcast team," said Kevin Martinez, Seattle Mariners Sr. Vice President, Marketing and Communications.
The versatile Hill has hosted Mariners pre- and postgame shows since 2010 and has filled in with play-by-play duties. He also hosts a Mariners podcast and has been a regular contributor to the Mariners Magazine program, which airs pregame on Sundays. In his new role, Hill will continue his presence in a variety of Mariners radio programming.
For the Tacoma native, this opportunity is a dream come true.
"Since childhood, the answer to the question 'What do you want to do with your life?' has always been 'I want to be part of the Mariners broadcast team.' It's what I've always hoped for," said Hill.
Hill cites Kevin Cremin, who retired after the 2017 season after 35 years as the Mariners radio producer and engineer, as a mentor, adding, "I don't think anyone has helped me more in my broadcasting career."
Hill is looking forward to becoming part of the "hometown team" he grew up with.
"I remember as a little kid, I had this old clock radio that I'd pull near my bed when I was supposed to be sleeping and I'd turn it on just to hear the end of the ballgame. I had to be careful because the volume button was broken, so if I twisted it a little too far it would get loud and I'd get caught. I had to keep it low to hear the final couple of innings with Dave (Niehaus) on the radio every night," said Hill.
Hill joins veteran Mariners announcers Rick Rizzs, Aaron Goldsmith, Dave Sims and Mike Blowers, whom he calls "tremendous broadcasters and even better people."
Hill graduated from Washington State University in 2000 with a B.A. in Communications and a B.S. in Psychology. He has been a fixture on local sports radio performing play-by-play for baseball (University of Washington, Washington State University), softball (University of Washington), basketball (Seattle Storm, Seattle University, University of Puget Sound, The Evergreen State College) and football (University of Puget Sound). He is the voice of University of Washington women's basketball. Hill is a member of the National Sports Media Association and the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR).
Gary and his wife Mary live in Des Moines, Wash., with their son Baker and daughter Finley.