Heart and sole — the legend of the Mariner rally shoe
Improbable? Yes. Impossible? Not for the 2022 Seattle Mariners professional baseball team. On Saturday, the Ms turned an 8-1 deficit in Toronto into a 10-9 victory for the history books.
In Seattle, at T-Mobile Park, Mariners fans who gathered for the team’s official watch party were asking for a miracle. And that's when a Birkenstock appeared on a man’s head.
"You'll see there's like one or two people per game, always different people, that put a shoe on their head," said Ben Cox, a Mariners fan who attended Saturday's watch party at T-Mobile Park. "So it might be a Seattle thing — I'm not too sure."
Cox first placed a single Birkenstock sandal on his head as the Mariners began climbing out of their 8-1 deficit to the Toronto Blue Jays. After appearing on the jumbotron, fans throughout the stadium began placing their "rally shoes" atop their head, hoping for a historic comeback to clinch a spot in the American League Division Series — for the first time since 2001.
That's when JP Crawford hit a bloop double into centerfield with the bases loaded. In the most improbable of moments, two Blue Jays collided on their way to the ball, allowing the Ms to score three more runs and tie the game 9-9.
"The whole stadium just erupted," Cox said. "Next thing I know, people are lifting me up onto their shoulders while we're in the stadium, and bouncing up and down. It was electric."
The Mariners went on to score one more run and close out the sweep. In memory, the Mariners asked Cox to sign his shoe, which was actually his wife's, and donate it to the Mariner's Hall of Fame, where it will forever be remembered as the "rally shoe."
Cox left the stadium with one sandal remaining, his other foot sockless on the journey home from the game.
"It's pretty outrageous just to be like, 'Wow, I'm now a rally shoe guy,' and that sandal will live on for hopefully forever," he said.
The Mariners will take on the Houston Astros in a best of five series, guaranteeing at least one home game in Seattle this week.
-
Alec Cowan
Producer, Soundside
Alec Cowan is a producer for Soundside. His interests have brought many eclectic stories to the program, and his segments gravitate toward history, technology, art and design, and ecology.
More stories from Alec Cowan » -
Libby Denkmann
Host, Soundside
Libby Denkmann joined KUOW in December 2021 as the host of the midday show Soundside. She’s a native Pacific Northwesterner who grew up in Redmond, graduated from the University of Washington and covered local news as a producer and reporter with KIRO Radio.
More stories from Libby Denkmann »
