AquaSox to Honor Greg Halman on Saturday

Everett, Wash - The Everett AquaSox, Short Season-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, have announced that they will retire the first player uniform number* in the 28-year history of the franchise. Outfielder Gregory Halman's number 26 will never again be worn by an AquaSox player. Halman passed away last November in his native Netherlands at the age of 24.

"Like everyone, we were saddened by Gregory's loss," said AquaSox Executive Vice President, Tom Backemeyer. "He played in Everett for two seasons, and not only was he one of the best players to ever wear an AquaSox uniform; he was a wonderful young man too. We wanted to find a way to honor his memory and decided that retiring his number was the most appropriate way to do it."

In his two seasons with the AquaSox (2006 and 2007), Halman, an outfielder, batted a combined .291 with 21 homeruns, 52 RBI and 26 stolen bases in 90 games. As a 19 year-old in 2007, he was voted as a Northwest League All-Star after batting .307 with 16 home runs in 62 games.

Halman will be honored on Saturday, June 23, in a ceremony prior to the AquaSox 7:05 p.m. home game against the Spokane Indians. A photo montage of his career with the AquaSox as well as tributes from former teammates will be displayed on the video board prior to the unveiling of his number 26, which will be permanently displayed on the wall in right field, not far from where he chased fly balls.

The AquaSox home opener is set for Wednesday, June 20 at Everett Memorial Stadium against Spokane. For information about ticket plans, planning a group outing or about the season schedule, the public is invited to visit the AquaSox stadium store at 3802 Broadway in Everett, call (425) 258-3673, or log onto aquasox.com.

*Jackie Robinson's number 42 was previously retired by every team in Minor League Baseball.