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:
https://twitter.com/Mariners/status/1013239720573202433
https://twitter.com/Mariners/status/1013269765488406528
https://twitter.com/Mariners/status/1013232045810593793
https://twitter.com/SafecoField/status/1013274378107121665
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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.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BkqNQr7BXgD/?hl=en&taken-by=mariners
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bkf5-HNh-_4/?hl=en&taken-by=mariners
https://twitter.com/Mariners/status/1013265688545222656
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:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BkrMGuPBb8O/?hl=en&taken-by=mariners
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:
https://twitter.com/tworsandtwols/status/1013259078628327424
https://twitter.com/tworsandtwols/status/1013247007601782784
https://twitter.com/tworsandtwols/status/1013279606730735617
https://twitter.com/SeattleMariNERD/status/1013257577889611776
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https://twitter.com/frommsb/status/1013449692762464256
https://twitter.com/Mariners/status/1013275165503836160
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.