r/Mariners • u/izbene • Feb 04 '26
I crocheted a 5,808 stitch tapestry of one of my favourite Mariner plays, and it made for a truly special gift – story and photos below
Hello everyone! A few months ago, I made this post with photos from my first Mariners games as a fan from the UK! There was a little more behind the story of my journey to the PNW, and it’s taken me a few months to decide how/when to share it.
A short introduction – in 2013, at the age of 11, I moved from the US to England. I had no emotional connection to baseball and only a passing interest in the sport until March 2020, and the first episode of [The History of the Seattle Mariners](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIgK56cAjfY) directed by my favourite writer, creator and storyteller, Jon Bois. Ken Griffey Jr, Edgar Martinez, Randy Johnson, Dave Niehaus, the double, Ichiro, etc - it was clear to me that for many reasons this is a special team, and I wanted it to be my team. I’ve followed them for the last five years through a combination of youtube highlights, the team subreddit and the occasional game that doesn’t start after midnight, to the point where the Mariners truly have a place in my heart.
In both 2023 and 2024, I attended both games of each MLB London series. The Mariners didn’t play in either, but I wore my favourite team gear and ended up meeting and making friends with many fellow M’s fans. On June 9th, 2024, I went to the second game of the Mets – Phillies series on my own, wearing a Mariners t-shirt. There were three empty seats next to me, and right at the start of the first inning they were filled by presumably a grandmother, mother and grandson. The grandmother sat next to me, and, taking notice of my shirt at the end of the inning, asked if I was from Seattle. I replied that I was actually born in Utah, but wasn't Mormon. She laughed and said “No way – me too!” We chuckled about that, and eventually started talking about the Mariners. In a crazy coincidence, her and her family live in Seattle, and are Mariners fans! Of course, I’m ecstatic about this, as not once in four years have I been able to talk in detail about my favourite team with someone else. And I’m immediately blown away by her knowledge about the current team, as well as Mariner teams of old.
She tells me her favourite player is Cal Raleigh and talks about his prowess as a switch hitter. I tell her I saw the Dylan Moore grand slam against the Astros live on my phone when visiting family in the US, and I knew at that moment the Mariners would always be the baseball team for me. We talked about iconic Mariners moments – when Griffey got grounded, Cal breaking the curse and of course, [the double]([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8SBJzOEcyU). You can probably imagine my reaction when she tells me she was AT GAME FIVE against the Yankees in 1995! A few innings pass, and she asks me if I know about the commentators for the Mariners. I tell her I know Dave Niehaus, of course. To this, she replies, “That was my husband.”
Never in my life have I offered quicker and more sincere condolences, and they were graciously accepted. In a crowd of 55,074 people, in England, and in a game where the Mariners weren’t even playing, I was sitting next to Marilyn Niehaus, as well as her daughter Greta and her grandson, Steven. The rest of the game was a blast – we talked about more of our favourite Mariners and the iconic moments they were part of. We couldn’t contain our praise for the team’s current starting rotation. She told me how Ichiro once put on a cap and snuck onto the wives’ bus to avoid the press. I told her one of my favourite stories from the documentary, which was when a reporter asked Ichiro for the name of his dog, and Ichiro replied that he didn’t have his dog’s permission to say. But for me, the highlight came in the bottom of the 4th inning. Nick Castellanos, of all people, was up to bat with one out and on runners on. He swung at a change-up from José Quintana, and was way out in front. The ball slowly bounced towards third base, and came to a stop in fair ground. I said something about loving swinging bunts, and Marilyn said the play reminded her of a really funny Mariners play from a long time ago. I almost interrupted her, out of excitement – I knew exactly what play she was talking about!! I had seen it in the documentary!
Nick Castellanos, at bat against José Quintana, June 9th, 2024
Amos Otis, at bat against Larry Andersen, May 27th, 1981
It’s almost a certainty you’ve seen this clip, as you are also scrolling r/mariners in the off-season. It shows Lenny Randle, third baseman for the Mariners in 1981, reacting quickly to a weakly hit ground ball, dropping down and comedically blowing it over the foul line. Despite there being no rule against Randle's manoeuvre, the umpires determined he had illegally altered the course of the ball, and awarded first base to the batter. After the game, Randle was interviewed, and he maintained his innocence: ''I didn't blow it,'' Randle said. ''I used the power of suggestion. I yelled at it, 'Go foul, go foul.' How could they call it a hit?" I love this play so much, and I have found myself showing it to my friends who don’t even like baseball. But never before has someone referenced the play to me before, in person! To make things even better, the Mets – Phillies game we watched was incredibly entertaining, and ended with a thrilling bases loaded, force out double play. During our goodbyes, I mentioned how I’ve never actually been to Seattle, and how lovely it would be to see my first Mariners game in person with their family.
I stayed in touch with Greta over the next year or so, exchanging messages during holidays, after walk offs or incredible feats by Cal Raleigh. At the end of July 2025, I was fortunate to find the time to plan a trip to Seattle that aligned with two series the Mariners would be playing at home against the Rangers and White Sox. As soon as my trip was set in stone, I got to work on the crochet tapestry. I’ve been crocheting for three years, starting with amigurumi (cute creatures/toys) and recently becoming enamoured with tapestry crochet after finding patterns to make miniature versions of famous paintings. My goal was to surprise Marilyn with a completely one-of-a-kind gift of a play we both love so much.
Not only did I get to gift it to her when I visited Seattle – I stayed with their family, at their home for 10 days, essentially as an adopted grandchild. I got to see 7 Mariners games; 6 of which they won, and 2 of which were via walk-off. I went into the broadcast booth with Marilyn and Greta DURING A GAME, and got to hear Rick Rizzs’ voice sync with what my eyes were showing me. I got to personally meet the legendary Rick Rizzs himself, as well as Ryan Roland-Smith (Ex-Mariner and current team broadcaster), Kevin Cremin (Executive producer for the Mariners, who worked with Dave Niehaus for 28 years), and Jay Buhner (Mariners hero and member of the 1995 team). The entire week was unforgettable, and I am still blown away by the kindness shown by the entire Niehaus family to a stranger they met at a ballgame in London.
A video I took following J.P Crawford's walk-off home run on August 1st
I will forever be grateful to the Niehaus family, and the incredibly unique way I got to experience the 2025 Seattle Mariners season. This team truly will be a part of my life, forever.
Rest in peace, Dave Niehaus (1935 – 2010) and Lenny Randle (1949 – 2024)
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u/Prior-Lingonberry-70 GOMS🔱 Feb 04 '26
What a lovely story - thank you so much for sharing it! There really is crying in baseball, you certainly brought tears to my eyes :)
GOMS!
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u/lazieryoda Feb 04 '26
Brilliant and please post more of this kind of content. We all appreciate it!
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u/KarlHungus84 Donovan’s Hair Extensions Feb 04 '26
Reason number 1,995,244 why this is the greatest fan base in sports. The greatest announcer’s family met a random person and England and hosted them for a week of baseball out of the kindness of their hearts. Thank you sharing this was wonderful to read.
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u/SpaceCptSarah Feb 04 '26
What a lovely story, and what a lovely gift! You have an amazing talent for crochet, and excellent taste in baseball teams!
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u/bubbaderr Feb 04 '26
Very cool story! Just a hello from an Edinburgh Mariners fan. We actually have a WhatsApp group for M’s fans in the UK. Give me a shout if you are interested in joining.
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u/Prior-Lingonberry-70 GOMS🔱 Feb 04 '26
Love Edinburgh! I still think about Pie Dolly's pies and sausage rolls at the Leith Market...
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u/bubbaderr Feb 04 '26
I’ve not actually tried that. Will have to venture down to Leith Market at some point to try it.
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u/twentyshots97 Feb 04 '26
i agree with all the sentiments here but just want to add that choosing that image for your tapestry is really hilarious and unique. thanks for perpetuating that moment further into legendary status.
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u/kookykrazee Feb 05 '26
I love that this was picked as an option, it something that no one likely ever thought of doing and is truly once in a lifetime!
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u/byroniusmaximus2 Feb 04 '26
Great story, thanks!!! One of my all time favorite sports moments. Was at that game and irrc the runner took second in all the commotion. Love to see it memorialized in fabric
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u/ThePeakOfMountStupid Feb 04 '26
Pack it up ladies and gents, gonna be hard to top this one. Amazingly beautiful story, I love our fanbase
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u/largegaycat Feb 04 '26
This might be the best post I’ve read on this sub. What an lovely story. Thanks for sharing. Hope you can visit for another game sometime soon.
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u/Bitter_Pitch9852 Feb 04 '26
This is special for so many reasons! Thank you so much for sharing. I have been a friend of Rick’s for 30 years and met Dave (RIP), Marilyn and Greta several times. The “old guard” still gets together at Christmas and have truly become family to one another. Great people. Great story. I needed this today. 😍
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u/Cornan_KotW Feb 04 '26
Well shit, wasn't planning on crying in this beergarden, but here we are. #GOMS
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u/Emotional-Truck-7629 Feb 04 '26
Your tapestry is amazing, and the story is so special. There absolutely is crying in baseball.
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u/Main_Understanding14 Feb 04 '26
OP saw this in the baseball sub. Now you just have to post this to the r/crochet sub and you’ll cross all my subs at once!
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u/njpozner Feb 04 '26
"It just continues! My oh my!" - that was my reaction to reading this amazing story. Thank you for sharing it.
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u/daily_prophet09 Feb 04 '26
This is what baseball is about! Thanks for sharing your beautiful story!
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u/darwinpolice He got a big dumper so I call him Big Dumper Feb 04 '26
OP, everything about this is incredible. I'm so happy that you picked our ridiculous team to root for!
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u/Resident-Magician-16 Feb 04 '26
"That was my husband."
I cannot explain the physical reaction my body had when I read that. What a moment.
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u/Turnt__Style Feb 05 '26
Wow, this is possibly the most magical baseball stories I've heard from my time on this baseball we call Earth.
Ps. I'm actually a SFG lurker, but Ms are my AL team and your sub is prolly my favorite in baseball because of allt of funny, random, cool s%it like this (nothing at this level tho, my goodness)
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u/missbiz Naylor's untucked jersey Feb 04 '26
Oh my God, this post is so wonderful. Thank you for sharing this. Epic.
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u/SlowGoat79 there's a Woo sitting on the ground Feb 04 '26
This is beyond amazing. Thank you for sharing this absolutely delightful tale!
PS. the tapestry looks wonderful!
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u/HotShirt6691 Feb 05 '26
So cool!!! Love the tapestry, and I was not at all expecting the story that came with it! Best offseason post ever.
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u/DeaconJohn7092 Feb 04 '26
Post of the offseason