Diego Segui obit

The Man Who Threw the First Pitch in Seattle Mariners History Has Died at the Age of 87

Diego Segui, who threw the first pitch in Seattle Mariners history in 1977, passed away on Tuesday. 

He was not on the list.

Diego Segui, the man who threw the very pitch in Seattle Mariners history in 1977, died on Tuesday at the age of 87.

Bob Kendrick, the President of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, posted the information on social media:

Heartbroken about the news of the passing of my dear friend, and former @MLB pitcher, Diego Segui. He was 87. We honored Diego last November with our Negro Leagues Beisbol Lifetime Achievement Award. Sending thoughts and prayers to the Segui family

Segui spent 15 years in the major leagues with the Kansas City Athletics, Washington Senators, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Pilots, St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox and Mariners.

According to the Everett AquaSox, he served as a minor league pitching coach in Everett and is also the only man to ever play for both the Pilots and Mariners. Everett was affiliated with the Giants at the time he was pitching coach.

We are saddened to hear of the passing of former pitching coach Diego Segui. He was only man to play for the Seattle Pilots and Seattle Mariners. pic.twitter.com/zJrv1UTCcm

— Everett AquaSox (@EverettAquaSox) June 25, 2025

He was 92-111 lifetime with a sold 3.81 ERA. He appeared in 639 career games, starting 171 of them. He made 40 appearances for the M's in 1977, going 0-7 with a 5.69 ERA. He started seven games that season and threw 110.2 innings. He had 12 saves for the Pilots in 1969 before the team bolted to become the Milwaukee Brewers.

April 5th, 1977 - Diego Segui is the Opening Day starter in the inaugural season of the Seattle #Mariners @ByBobDutton @mariners pic.twitter.com/zryUs9ACRI

— OldTimeHardball (@OleTimeHardball) July 13, 2019

Segui won double-digit games in three different seasons and his son, David, played for the Mariners in the 1998 and 1999 seasons. He hit 19 homers for the '98 Mariners as part of a 15-year career.

Seguí was born in Holguín, Cuba. He was the father of MLB player David Segui.

RIP Diego Segui.

After he started the Mariners' inaugural game in 1977, he was dubbed "the Ancient Mariner," and, although he set a Mariners single-game record with 10 strikeouts early in the season on May 5, he failed to get a win the rest of the way. After compiling a 0–7 record with two saves and a 5.69 ERA in 40 games (seven starts), he was released at the end of the season.

Seguí continued pitching in the Mexican League for another 10 years, tossing a no-hitter for the Cafeteros de Córdoba during the 1978 season. During his Mexican stint, he amassed a 96–61 record with a 2.91 ERA and 1,025 strikeouts in 193 pitching appearances.

Seguí also pitched with four teams in the Venezuelan Winter League during 15 seasons between 1962 and 1983. He posted a 95–58 record and a 2.76 ERA in 213 games, setting a league's all-time record with 941 strikeouts, to surpass Aurelio Monteagudo (897) and José Bracho (748). This record is still unbeaten. He also ranks second in wins behind Bracho (109), third in complete games (68), and is fourth both in ERA and innings pitched (1249+2⁄3).

Seguí was inducted into the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in 2003.[9] He also gained induction into the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame on August 19, 2006, in San Francisco, California. In 2024, he was given the Negro Leagues Beisbol Lifetime Achievement Award by the the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.