Eugenio Suarez got off the Diamondbacks’ plane and stepped right onto the Mariners’ plane

With the Diamondbacks set to start a series against the Athletics on Friday, Eugenio Suarez was able to jump from one plane to the next.

BY BRENT STECKER/SEATTLE SPORTS

Jul 31, 2025, 12:11 PM Updated: 6:13 pm

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With the Seattle Mariners’ trade for Eugenio “Geno” Suárez from the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday night, the vibes around the team were certainly good.

Especially with the way the team returned from Sacramento to begin a 10-game homestand on Thursday.

As Mariners insider Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports relayed Thursday morning to Brock and Salk, the Mariners’ team plane didn’t take off from Sacramento for home right away. It turns out it was waiting for some surprise passengers.

“We got on the plane and we were sitting for a little while, and it turns out that they were holding the plane for Geno and his family,” Drayer said. “And they didn’t tell the players that was what they were doing. So after about a half-hour, all of a sudden it got a little bit loud at the front of the plane. Geno got on the plane and you could hear the cheering.”

It must have been quite the whirlwind for Suárez, who started the day playing for Arizona at Detroit. But with the Diamondbacks set to start a series against the Athletics on Friday, he was able to jump from one plane to the next.

True to Suárez’s personality, he took the time to greet everybody on the plane once he hopped on.

“This was just the neatest thing, and it’s so Geno Suárez: he proceeded to walk the entire length of the plane and hugged every person on it,” Drayer said.

Both Suárez previously played for the Mariners in 2022 and 2023.

The touching reunion on the plane seemed to come at a perfect time for the Mariners. While they’re tied with their next opponent, the Texas Rangers, for the last Wild Card from the American League, they had just lost 5-4 to the Athletics on Wednesday, ending a road trip where they went 3-4. Additionally, the Mariners have four more days to go in a stretch of 17 straight days with a game.

The #Mariners held the plane in Sacramento to allow Eugenio Suárez time for him and his family to join the flight back to Seattle. 🥹@shannondrayer takes you inside the emotional moment with @BrockHuard & @TheMikeSalk.

📺: https://t.co/L3ws5WW1ey https://t.co/6pXxua9spG pic.twitter.com/1ESptXE9l1

— Seattle Sports (@SeattleSports) July 31, 2025

The vibes turned around with the surprise arrival of Suárez, which Drayer called “one of the neatest moments I have seen on the plane in my years of traveling with them.”

According to Drayer, there was a different feeling when the media talked to All-Star catcher Cal Raleigh in the clubhouse after the team had heard about the Suárez trade.

“You heard a different kind of confidence when Cal in particular was talking about it,” she said. “He said, hey, I felt good about the moves they already made, I feel good about the guys we have in here, but this is Geno. And there was a lot of talk about both what he could do on the field and in the lineup, but also the person he was and what he can bring in regard to the vibes and kind of calming people down if there are just situations where it gets tough in a playoff run.

“He is somebody that can can kind of dictate the feel, the vibe in the clubhouse, in the dugout, on the field. And that is something that they are looking forward to having, and I think something you need when you make that push.”

This story first appeared on Seattle Sports.