Seattle’s most popular celebrity doesn’t get days off.
Humpy the salmon, the lovable Mariners mascot, was the guest of honor Thursday afternoon at a fan rally at downtown City Hall ahead of Game 4 of the American League Championship Series. Mayor Bruce Harrell, standing next to the fish and facing a crowd of screaming M’s die-hards, officially proclaimed Oct. 16, 2025, to be “Humpy Day.”
“This is going in our history books,” Harrell said. “We’re going to be fired up.”
The scene at Seattle City Hall was joyous, slightly chaotic and optimistic after the M’s were walloped, 13-4, in Wednesday’s Game 3 in Seattle against the Blue Jays. To help keep the mood buoyant, rally organizers (the city of Seattle, Seattle Sports Commission and the Downtown Seattle Association) called on the University of Washington Husky Marching Band and Spirit Squad to hype up a few hundred fans gathered on a crisp October day.
“All my life, the Mariners have sort of struggled a little bit, so it’s been really awesome to watch them come into their own and become a team that’s a powerhouse up in the [AL] West,” said 21-year-old UW student Andrew Winningham of Snohomish, one of the band’s drum majors and a lifelong Mariners fan.
Playing one of their signature tunes, “Talkin’ Out da Side of Ya Neck” by Dem Franchize Boyz, sousaphone players dressed in Mariners gear played deep, bellowing notes that sounded like a ship’s foghorn. The band changed the lyrics of some songs to better fit the Mariners’ historic playoff run, now closer than ever to the World Series: During a rendition of The Kingsmen’s “Louie Louie,” the band changed the lyric, “We gotta go to the Rose Bowl,” to: “We gotta go to the World Series.”
After about a dozen songs, it came time to honor Humpy. His fellow mascots crowded the stage to offer support: the Mariner Moose was there, of course, along with the Seawolves ruby mascot, Rucky, and Harry the Husky.
Longtime Mariners anchor Angie Mentink addressed the crowd next, thanking fans for their steadfast dedication to both Humpy and the team.
“Our friend Humpy wins, not because he was the biggest, the strongest or the fastest,” she said. “He was given the chance because the city, you fans, you believed in him. Because the moment called for something more than skill. It called for belief, it called for hope, it called for the improbable.”
Seattle Storm player Jordan Horston also took to the stage to speak to fans: “When one team wins, we all win,” she said. “We need your support. That’s what makes Seattle special.”
Ren Hauptman showcased her love for the salmon at the rally, sporting a Humpy plush toy clipped to her backpack and a Humpy bobblehead on her chest. She called Humpy’s first-ever win “emotional. Every game we went to, we thought [he would win], but it never was. And then it happened!”
Once the ceremony wrapped up, the crowd began a 1-mile march to T-Mobile Park. With police escorts to clear the streets ahead, the band, the cheer squad members and hundreds of passionate Mariners fans set off with a resounding rally cry.
Some M’s fans walked on four legs. Jimmy Veras, owner of a canine daycare center on Capitol Hill, walked down the street with no less than six dogs on leashes, including Bella the Bernese mountain dog and Elvis, dressed in a skeleton costume.
“We tried to find Mariners gear for all the dogs, but only found Seahawks gear so far,” he joked. Veras, who is originally from Puerto Rico but moved to Seattle 9 years ago, said that following the team has been exciting. “We’re here for the Mariners,” he said.
After strolling down tree-lined Occidental Avenue, the crowd arrived at the gates of the ballpark Thursday afternoon about two and a half hours before the first pitch of Game 4. Co-workers Elizabeth Baer, Anna Smallley and Kaela Pendrak were there, waving “Humpy for President” picket signs. They said they were more excited than ever for a chance to see the M’s continue their magical playoff run.
“We do our best when we’re underdogs,” said Baer, a born-and-raised Mariners fan. “We’ve always been underdogs and will rise from that.”