August 11th, 2021

The sculpture commemorates the most famous hit in Mariners history — “The Double”

The Seattle Mariners on Wednesday unveiled a statue of Edgar Martinez, on the south side of T-Mobile Park, along the street that bears his name, in a pose that represents one of the defining moments in the history of the franchise.

Created by Lou Cella, the Chicago-based artist who sculpted the statues of Dave Niehaus (2011) and Ken Griffey Jr. (2017), it captures the single most famous hit in Mariners history.

During his Hall of Fame career, Martinez hit 521 doubles for the Mariners, including seven in the postseason, none bigger than the one known to Mariners fans simply as “The Double.” It came on October 8, 1995, Game 5 of the American League Division Series against the heavily favored New York Yankees. Trailing by one run in the bottom of the 11th inning, with Joey Cora on third and Ken Griffey Jr. on first, Edgar drilled a one-strike pitch down the left field line of the Kingdome to score Cora and Griffey for a 6-5 win over the Yankees and a trip to the American League Championship Series.

It was the culmination of an improbable late season surge that saw the 1995 Mariners come from 13 games back in the standings to beat the California Angels in a one-game tiebreaker and make their first-ever trip to the playoffs.

The sculpture was unveiled on Aug. 11, a tip of the cap to the number Edgar wore on his jersey as a Mariner. During his storied 18-year career, he was a seven-time All-Star, five-time Silver Slugger and two-time batting champion. In 2019, he joined his former teammate Ken Griffey Jr. in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The unveiling ceremony was attended by Griffey and fellow Mariners Hall of Famer Dan Wilson.

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