Mike Cameron statue unveiled at Mariners Legacy Plaza
The Seattle Mariners unveiled a statue of Mike Cameron and Mark McLemore raising the American flag as Legacy Plaza opened at T-Mobile Park, honoring the record 116-win 2001 team and the iconic Sept. 19, 2001, flag-raising that followed baseball's return after the Sept. 11 attacks. The private morning ceremony put that scene—and Cameron's famously untucked jersey—at the center of the club's newest tribute space.
Key Takeaways
- A statue of Mike Cameron and Mark McLemore raising the American flag headlines Legacy Plaza at T-Mobile Park.
- The tribute marks 25 years since the Mariners' record 116-win season and the Sept. 11 attacks.
- Displays of 116 bats and 2,269 fan-message balls raised more than $300,000 for youth fields.
- The original 2001 flag will stay framed on exhibition in the plaza.
What did the Mariners unveil at Legacy Plaza?
In a private ceremony Thursday morning, the Mariners opened Legacy Plaza and unveiled a statue capturing Mike Cameron and Mark McLemore with the American flag. It is a different kind of honor than the club's earlier statues of Dave Niehaus, Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez, and Ichiro Suzuki.
Behind the sculpture sits a display of 116 bats—one for each win in 2001—plus 2,269 commemorative balls fans customized with personal messages. According to the organization, the art installation raised over $300,000 for Mariners Legacy Field projects that build and restore youth fields in Washington.
Why does the Mike Cameron flag-raising moment still matter?
The 2001 Mariners won a record 116 games. That season also collided with national tragedy: baseball paused after the Sept. 11 attacks, and Seattle resumed play on Sept. 18. The next day, the club clinched the American League West.
There was no champagne spray. Players stayed on the field as fans remained in their seats. Carl Hamilton, a Marine veteran and the team's video coordinator, brought a flag to the postgame handshake line. Stan Javier was the first to raise it before it reached McLemore and Cameron—creating the image now immortalized in the statue.
Cameron's untucked jersey is part of that memory. Growing up in Georgia, he watched his father return from factory work with his shirttail out, a sign the day was done. Cameron carried that tribute through a 17-year career with eight teams. "I don't know any other way I could pay tribute to the guy who got me here on this earth," he said, fighting back tears.
McLemore said he never imagined standing before a statue 25 years later. "At the time—and to this day—I was proud to represent this country," he said. "I knew the eyes of America and the world were watching."
How does the plaza connect remembrance and celebration?
Thursday's ceremony mixed both tones. Representatives from local fire and police departments and other first-responder groups sat amid no fewer than 12 American flags, including the one Cameron and McLemore carried in 2001. Ahead of that night's homestand opener against the A's, the two were set to join local first responders—including firefighters who helped combat wildfires in Spokane—to throw out the first pitch.
Cameron recalled the 2001 club as "the biggest block party at 7 o'clock here, every single night," even if he did not then grasp the magnitude. The plaza now pairs that celebration with remembrance and a community payoff for young players across the state. For more civic and cultural stories in our Future Tech & AI Wonders coverage, follow that hub alongside the ballpark landmark.
For Cameron, the simplest detail still lands hardest: the untucked jersey, and having his father there to see it preserved. Untucked jersey and all, the moment that defined an era of the franchise now stands in Legacy Plaza for fans to meet again.