SEATTLE -- Rick Rizzs’ joy for baseball, the Mariners and fans in the Pacific Northwest has reverberated throughout this region for more than 40 years, making him one of the most enthusiastic members of the organization’s community.
And he’ll almost certainly make the 2026 season one of his most memorable in the broadcast booth.
The longtime play-by-play commentator on Seattle’s airwaves announced on Tuesday that the upcoming season will be his last.
“Calling Mariners games has been the highlight of my life,” Rizzs said in a statement released by the team, “and having the chance to connect with managers, coaches, players, clubhouse personnel, my colleagues in the booth, those in the front office, but especially the great fans here in the Pacific Northwest has made it unbelievably special.
“I can’t thank them enough for the love and support they’ve given me all these years, but the reality is that the time has come for me to step back and spend more time at home with my grandkids.”
Rizzs also announced that he will have a reduced schedule for Mariners road games, and separately, the team announced its full slate of broadcasters for 2026.
That group, all of which were part of the 2025 broadcast team, includes:
Rick Rizzs, primary voice (radio)
Aaron Goldsmith, primary voice (TV)
Angie Mentink (analyst)
Ryan Rowland-Smith (analyst)
Gary Hill Jr. (executive producer/engineer and radio broadcaster)
Brad Adam, pregame and postgame host (TV)
Jay Buhner, analyst (TV)
Dave Valle, analyst (TV)
Rizzs, who turned 72 in November, has worked in baseball for 51 seasons, including 40 with the Mariners, three with the Tigers and another eight in the Minors.
He initially came to Seattle in 1983 and was paired with Hall of Fame broadcaster Dave Niehaus, who became a longtime mentor and one of Rizzs' closest friends until his passing after the 2010 season. Rizzs was in Seattle for nine seasons before leaving for a three-year stint in Detroit (1992-94), where he replaced Ford C. Frick Award-winner Ernie Harwell.
Rizzs returned to the Mariners for the 1995 season that saved baseball in Seattle, and he’s been here ever since. Rizzs is the longest-tenured broadcaster in club history, with his soon-to-be 41 seasons surpassing Niehaus’ 34-year career. In many ways, Rizzs has been a bridge to the organization’s very beginning in 1977, as Niehaus had called Mariners games since their inaugural season.
What’s made Rizzs reverberate so strongly in Seattle has been his unapologetic optimism about the team’s direction and fate -- quite literally, on a daily basis. Even when things aren’t going well, Rizzs has always preached positivity. He regularly recalls the nostalgic days of 1995 and 2001 and has an extreme appreciation for younger players and prospects.
“Fans in the Northwest, and all of us at the Mariners, have been blessed to have two of the great hometown radio broadcasters in baseball history call our games since the start of the franchise in 1977,” Mariners chairman and managing partner John Stanton said in a statement. “We look forward to celebrating Rick throughout the 2026 season as he concludes an amazing, Hall of Fame-caliber career.”
Beyond his work in the booth, Rizzs has made off-the-field philanthropy one of the pillars of his career as well.
Upon his return in ‘95, he co-founded the nonprofit Toys for Kids charity that has become as strong as ever. Over the last 30 years, Toys for Kids has purchased brand-new toys for over 360,000 kids in the Pacific Northwest during the holiday season. In the past 10 years, Toys for Kids has awarded 80 $5,000 college scholarships in honor of co-founder Dave Henderson. And over the last few years TFK’s Rick’s Locker program makes sure that kids in need have a chance to receive a brand-new baseball glove and bat.
Toys for Kids is a year-round initiative that collaborates on other programs, including to provide support to unhoused mothers as they care for their children while working to find employment and housing, as well as assisting school children experiencing challenges with food scarcity and/or acquiring back-to-school basics.
Rizzs, who grew up on the South Side of Chicago, is a 1975 graduate of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He began his broadcasting career with six seasons (1975-80) calling Double-A games for Alexandria, Amarillo and Memphis. He became the sports director of WBNS-FM in Columbus, Ohio, in 1981, where he called Ohio State Football and Triple-A baseball for two seasons prior to being hired by Seattle.