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Seattle Mariners centerfielder Julio Rodriguez shows off the new Nintendo jersey patch for home, left, and away games. (Seattle Mariners Photos)
Are the Seattle Mariners poised to level up this season? Perhaps, if a jersey patch is the boost the team needs.
The Mariners announced Thursday that Nintendo of America will be the baseball team’s first-ever official jersey sleeve partner.
A red and white Nintendo racetrack logo will be featured on Mariners home jerseys, and a Nintendo Switch 2 logo will appear on away jerseys for all regular and postseason games. The Mariners are the first team in Major League Baseball to feature different marks for home and road games.
The patch will debut next week on Opening Day, March 27 vs. the A’s at T-Mobile Park.
In a new video, Mariners star Julio Rodriguez is shown wearing a jersey with the patch — after a red Mario hat is shown next to his M’s cap in his clubhouse locker. “Play ball,” he says as video game music plays while he takes a swing of the bat. “This is gonna be fun.”
The All-Star centerfielder will serve as a brand ambassador for the collaboration.
“It’s a me Julio,” one fan wrote on Reddit, in a nod to Mario’s iconic video game catchphrase.
Nintendo of America, headquartered in Redmond, Wash., bought the Mariners in 1992 under then Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi. It sold the majority of its shares in 2016 and maintains a minority stake.
“Nintendo and the Mariners have been inextricably linked since 1992,” Seattle Mariners President of Business Operations Kevin Martinez said in a statement. “Now, each time the Mariners take the field, our jersey sleeves will help serve as a reminder of all that Nintendo of America has done for the Northwest community and the team.”
The M’s are the latest MLB team to secure a uniform patch deal. The Athletic reported last summer that 23 teams had such deals, and that the league average for the patches is around $7 million to $8 million a year. The biggest sponsorships are believed to be the Yankees and Blue Jays in the low-to-mid $20 million range annually, and the Red Sox at around $17 million, according to The Athletic.
A closer look at the Mariners’ new Nintendo home jersey patch. (Seattle Mariners Photo)
