Mariners News: Randy Johnson number retirement, Cal Raleigh honors, Jurrangelo Cijntje injury scare

The Seattle Mariners had a big surprise for everyone during their off day on Monday, revealing that Randy Johnson will also have his No. 51 retired by the organization. The ceremony is set for 2026.

The "also" is necessary because the Mariners were already planning to retire the No. 51 this year on account of Ichiro Suzuki. He also wore it in a 15-year career with Seattle that laid the groundwork for him to join Johnson in the Hall of Fame. "The Big Unit" was elected to Cooperstown in 2016, while Ichiro's induction ceremony is slated to take place on July 27.

Johnson's Hall of Fame plaque depicts him in an Arizona Diamondbacks cap, but taking that as a slight against the Mariners has never made much sense. The 6-foot-10, 225-pound lefty had his best years as a Diamondback, winning four of his five Cy Young Awards and his only World Series ring.

It was nonetheless the 10 years that Johnson spent in Seattle between 1989 and 1998 that sent him on his way to becoming arguably the greatest left-handed pitcher in MLB history. He led the American League in strikeouts four times as a Mariner, with the last of those earning him his first Cy Young in 1995. He pitched his first career no-hitter as a Mariner on June 2, 1990.

Johnson did clear some air in a Zoom chat on Monday, with Adam Jude of The Seattle Times reporting that the 61-year-old made a point of recalling that he didn't leave the Mariners as a free agent: "I was traded; I didn’t walk away, and I think that is something that I hear from fans still occasionally."

As for why Johnson won't be sharing the retirement of No. 51 with Ichiro at T-Mobile Park, that comes down to him being a class act. When the Mariners called Johnson about retiring his number, it was his idea to let Ichiro have his own spotlight.

“I’m extremely excited and proud and honored that this ownership has been working on this behind the scenes for a little while,” Johnson said, as per Jude. “And I know the significance of Ichiro and his accomplishments...because he deserves to have his own day.”

Mariners News: Cal Raleigh's huge week earned him first-time honors

The other bit of Mariners-related news that came out Monday concerned Cal Raleigh, who was named the American League Co-Player of the Week for the first time in his career.

That Raleigh earned this one is an understatement. He collected six of his MLB-high-tying 23 home runs last week, with four of them coming in the Mariners' series win over the Minnesota Twins during the weekend.

"Big Dumper" still faces long odds to win the AL MVP over Aaron Judge, but...well, baby steps. In the latest poll by MLB.com, Raleigh garnered one first-place vote to Judge's 40.

Regardless of what happens there, Raleigh is on pace to smash the single-season home run record for a catcher. Salvador Perez holds the record by way of 48 blasts in 2021, and Raleigh is on pace to finish with 64.

In the meantime, it suffices to say the debate over who's the best catcher in baseball is over.

Mariners News: Jurrangelo Cijntje had an injury scare over the weekend

As to recent happenings down on the farm, most news items emanating from the Mariners' minor league system have had to do with various hot-shot prospects achieving absurd feats.

Switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje has had his share of these, but he was prevented from chasing more during his latest outing for the High-A Everett AquaSox on Saturday. As covered by Mariners Minors on X, he left the game in the third inning with trainers because of an apparent issue with his right arm.

A follow-up report on Sunday noted that the 2024 first-round pick was removed for precautionary reasons with "general soreness." That is far from the worst-case scenario, but the situation is one that we'll nonetheless be monitoring.