The Seattle Mariners announced the passing of longtime broadcaster and former major leaguer, Ron Fairly at the age of 81. Fairly retired from his full-time chair in the Mariners’ broadcast booth in 2006.
“Ron was a key voice in our history,” said Mariners President & CEO Kevin Mather. “He joined our team at the start of an important era of Seattle baseball, beginning the same year as Lou Piniella and bringing over a decade of exciting baseball to our fans on TV and radio. Our thoughts are with his three sons: Mike, Steve and Patrick; and his grandchildren.”
From 1958 – 2006, Fairly contributed to over 7,000 Major League Baseball games as a player and broadcaster. During his 21-seasons on the field, Fairly won three World Series championships with the Dodgers, compiling more than 1900 hits and 200 homers.
Fairly began his broadcasting career in 1979 with the California Angels and later the San Francisco Giants before launching a more than two-decade long tenure with Seattle in 1993. With the Mariners, Fairly worked mostly as a color analyst on their radio and television broadcasts, occasionally stepping in as a play-by-play voice.
“Ron was not only a great broadcaster, he was a great friend,” said Mariners radio play-by-play voice Rick Rizzs. “He loved the game of baseball and everyone in it, and it showed. He was one of the best storytellers I’ve ever been around.
“Dave, Ron and I spent a lot of hours together travelling, dining and calling baseball games and Ron’s passion for the game, his love of his family and his loyalty to his friends always stood out to me” Rizzs added.
Following Fairly’s retirement as a full-time sportscaster in 2006, he did make several returns to the Mariners’ television and radio booths as a fill-in, the last time coming in 2011.
Brandon Contes is a freelance writer for BSM. He can be found on Twitter @BrandonContes. To reach him by email click here.