King County Executive mourns loss of Hiroshi Yamauchi

King County Executive Dow Constantine issued the following statement on the death of Seattle Mariners majority owner Hiroshi Yamauchi:

“At a time when it seemed the Mariners were on their way out of town, Hiroshi Yamauchi stepped up to save baseball in Seattle. 

“Without his intervention we would never have seen Griffey mature into an MVP-level talent, Edgar’s double and the “Refuse to Lose” team in 1995, the 116-win season in 2001, Ichiro’s hits record, or Felix’s perfection. 

“I offer my sincere condolences to Mr. Yamauchi’s family and friends on his passing. I join Mariners fans across the region in thanking him for keeping Major League Baseball in Seattle.”