The Seattle Mariners went back to the future on Saturday night with a celebration rooted in the past.
In honor of the 20th anniversary of “Turn Ahead the Clock Night,” a promotional event from the Ken Griffey Jr. days of 1998, the Mariners put on their backward hats again for some forward-looking perspective.
Sleeveless maroon, black and silver uniforms were the most striking feature of the night, with many players choosing to wear them untucked and baring their tattooed arms on a less-than-balmy evening at Safeco Field. Some even spray-painted their cleats silver, to match silver batting helmets.
The big screen at Safeco field was full of fun facts and the Mariners had a blast on their official Twitter and Instagram accounts throughout the game against the Kansas City Royals:
Here's is tonight's Mariners lineup, as programmed by manager Scott Servais.#TurnAheadTheClock pic.twitter.com/4D9uRQWpMD
— Mariners (@Mariners) July 1, 2018
Vacationing on Europa, it was great to have Junior join us via hologram.#TurnAheadTheClock pic.twitter.com/aRJSACp06C
— Mariners (@Mariners) July 1, 2018
Great evening in Seattle, but looks like our overhead precipitation defense system may stay in place all night. #TurnAheadTheClock pic.twitter.com/zFeI3Sxa7P
— Mariners (@Mariners) July 1, 2018
? Reminder to all fans: the wave was outlawed as part of the 2022 collective bargaining agreement. ?#TurnAheadTheClock
— Safeco Field (@SafecoField) July 1, 2018
The traditional big-screen race between hydro boats was instead a matchup of DeLorean cars, like the one driven by Michael J. Fox in “Back to the Future.” Second baseman Dee Gordon also posed with a DeLorean for a post in the days ahead of the game.
Shout out to Hyperdrive Hank. It wouldn't be a Mariners game without you.#TurnAheadTheClock pic.twitter.com/HfWAfaWjyk
— Mariners (@Mariners) July 1, 2018
With Felix Hernandez pitching, the King’s Court section of fans was awash in silver rather than waving the traditional yellow “K” cards that are a fixture of his starts. Extra futuristic points for this Instagram caption:
The original “Turn Ahead the Clock Night” took place on July 18, 1998, as the team turned the clock ahead 20 years while playing at the long-gone Kingdome. On Saturday, the clock was again set to 2027 — which will be the Mariners’ 50th anniversary.
The scoreboard over center field featured ads from the future, scores for games set on distant planets, and out-of-this-world statistics. One screen flashed a promotional ad for Robot Appreciation Night, with all you can eat computer chips. And another showed a headline from 2027 with Seattle’s hopefully soon-to-be NHL team, the Yeti, winning a championship.
Mariners fan @tworsandtwols tweeted a bunch of the fun stuff:
I missed the still for the Moon Boot giveaway, but I did get this: pic.twitter.com/t32fFk9RvX
— Daniel Carroll (@tworsandtwols) July 1, 2018
.@NHLSeattle_ looking pretty good… pic.twitter.com/1fO2Nr7rH1
— Daniel Carroll (@tworsandtwols) July 1, 2018
With two strikes on Escobar, I set my phone flashlight to — • —
That’s a K, if you didn’t know.
— Daniel Carroll (@tworsandtwols) July 1, 2018
Tonight's scoreboard sponsors from the future…#TurnAheadTheClock pic.twitter.com/K3Ov6b93kv
— Bruce Ryan (@SeattleMariNERD) July 1, 2018
Got some facts for y’all: pic.twitter.com/gLdjyCzFXZ
— Daniel Carroll (@tworsandtwols) July 1, 2018
— Maple Burton (@frommsb) July 1, 2018
As always, Aaron [Au]smith and Dan "The Bionic Man" Wilson are bringing tonight's Mariners game to all corners of the galaxy. pic.twitter.com/b7NF8bqbin
— Mariners (@Mariners) July 1, 2018
Here’s a Facebook recap video of the game, including a mention of how Pluto, which was losing to Saturn 19-0, had a losing streak of 1,347 games. “The ball really carries well on Pluto,” the announcer said.
The Mariners go back to the future and take the second game of the series vs. the Royals. FINAL: 6-4.
Posted by Seattle Mariners on Saturday, June 30, 2018
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