Jason Kanzler, a former Houston Astros hitting coach, is officially the Seattle Mariners’ new manager, and he wasted absolutely no time setting the tone. At his 30-minute introductory press conference Wednesday, the name “Houston Astros” was never once uttered, despite the team coming up multiple times, all because Kanzler himself jokingly dubbed his old club “the team that shall not be named.” General Manager Justin Hollander and even three reporters played along, turning the whole thing into an epic, subtle jab. You love to see it, Seattle.
The Electric Factory’ Gets a New Conductor
Kanzler’s connection to “the team that shall not be named” isn’t just a brief stint, either; his entire major league dugout experience as a coach came from his three seasons as their hitting coach. So yeah, he’s definitely pulling from those lessons. But when he talked about his first thoughts on T-Mobile Park, he didn’t hold back his excitement for his new home. “I fondly remember coming here when I was with the team that shall not be named, and what distinctly stands out to me is this atmosphere is electric,” Kanzler said. He even name-checked our beloved “Electric Factory” moniker, adding, “I would like to ride the lightning with this team and this city.”
Now, if “Electric Factory” gives you a flash of 2022, you’re not alone. That’s what we, the Mariners faithful, started calling T-Mobile Park when our boys finally broke that 20-year playoff drought. And we all remember how that story ended, swept by the Astros in the American League Division Series. But Kanzler’s memory of that phrase runs even deeper. He was right there in the Astros’ clubhouse a couple of weeks later, celebrating their World Series win, when Lance McCullers Jr. used our own phrase against us, screaming “When we started this f- journey, they sent us out West, we f- unplugged the Electric Factory” into his champagne toast. Kanzler heard that. And now he’s here to ride the lightning with *us*.
Hollander’s “White Whale” Lands in the Emerald City
It’s clear this wasn’t just a spur-of-the-moment hire for GM Justin Hollander. He’d actually tried to snatch Kanzler up back in 2021 when Kanzler was mentoring minor leaguers for “the organization that shall not be named.” Hollander couldn’t pry him away then, but the impression was made. “It was one of the most, if not the most, impressive interviews that I think all of us had ever been a part of,” Hollander stated. He even called Kanzler his “white whale,” someone he had always wanted to work with.
This long-standing admiration definitely gave Kanzler an edge, perhaps even over former Astros manager Joe Espada, who was also a finalist for the Mariners’ top job. Hollander pretty much said Kanzler made it impossible not to pick him. “When we started this process it was just a name that got added to the pool, really with no expectation that we would lead to this point and to Jason’s credit, I think he left us no choice throughout the process,” Hollander said. “It was just round after round, conversation after conversation, he dominated the process to a degree that I think we would have been foolish to take all of our hard work and throw it out the window and not choose him.” Kanzler dominated the process. He knows the rival. He’s already got the banter down. Sounds like our kind of manager. This isn’t just a new manager; this is a statement. And Mariners fans should be buzzing right now about what Kanzler is bringing to the dugout.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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