If sports teams can have a bromance, the Seattle Kraken and Seattle Mariners appear to be besties. They have one player to thank above all others.
Mariners 1st baseman Josh Naylor is at the nexus of synergy between the city’s baseball and hockey franchises. Check out the featured photos above.
On the left, that’s Naylor (far left) posing at T-Mobile Park with Kraken (left to right) Berkly Catton, Mackie Samoskevich, and Matty Beniers. On the right, that’s Naylor cheering on the Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena.
When the Kraken unveiled their current alternate 3rd jersey last September, the black “Abyss” model, they made sure the M’s 1st baseman received one (image at right).
At a September Mariners game, the promotional giveaway was a Naylor hockey jersey (image at left).
Not surprising, because Naylor grew up in a Toronto suburb. “I’m a huge hockey guy. I love hockey jerseys. I grew up wearing hockey jerseys a lot. This is my life in a shirt.”
He’s got more hockey sweaters than he can count. His mom once gifted Josh and his two younger brothers Tampa Bay Lightning jerseys.
He told TheScore.com, “I played until I was 13. The reason – and I’m not trying to brag at all – but I think the reason I have such good eye-hand coordination is because of hockey.
“I think I have good fast-twitch muscles because of hockey. You have to move on the fly, think quickly, you have to adjust to situations fast. I think (hockey) really helped develop me as a baseball player.”
Kraken Gave Naylor A Hometown Hockey Team To Root For
Seattle is the first of the four MLB teams Naylor has played for (Cleveland, San Diego, Arizona) that also had an NHL franchise while he was there. In a profile, the Seattle Times noted that he owns uniforms of the NFL Seahawks, MLS Sounders, WNBA Storm, NWSL Reign, and PWHL Torrent, as well as the Kraken (and, oh yeah, the Mariners).
“During pregame warm-ups before games last season, Naylor often wore a custom Kraken hockey jersey. He even wore the Kraken alternate black jersey during the Mariners’ Champagne celebration after their AL Division Series victory over Detroit.”
“Us baseball players from Canada played with an extra edge and it comes from being surrounded by hockey,” Naylor said to the San Antonio Express-News. “I loved it and will be one of my favorite sports until the day I die.”
Naylor will have plenty of time to showcase his Seattle team-themed duds and make appearances at local arenas and stadiums. He’s got four years remaining on a $92.5-million deal signed last November.
Earlier Kraken:
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