Seattle Mariners turn ahead clock, again, to 2027 and the fun is in the geeky, futuristic details

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:

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.

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:

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.