ARLINGTON, Texas – Casey Legumina wouldn’t trade his time in Cincinnati for anything.
Well, except for maybe Seattle.
Acquired from the Reds in February, Legumina – the former Gonzaga standout closer – has been a steady presence out of the bullpen for the Mariners as he soaks up his return to the state of Washington after a half-dozen years.
“Yeah, it’s been good,” Legumina said of his first few months in Seattle. “New place, new faces. Good culture here, can’t complain.
“(My time with the Reds) was a good time,” he said, adding that he never quite felt himself there after making his big-league debut with Reds in April of 2023. “The opportunity was different…. When I was up (in the majors), there were times when I (wasn’t) myself out there. Sometimes it makes it hard to stay there if you’re not doing what you need to do. But other than that, had a great time, good coaches, great people.”
Legumina, 27, pitched three seasons at Gonzaga, from 2017 to 2019 before getting selected in the eighth round of the 2019 draft by the Minnesota Twins.
He appeared in 17 MLB games over two seasons for Cincinnati before the M’s picked him up. Thus far, he’s made 10 appearances for Seattle and is 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA and a 1.144 WHIP.
Legumina, whose father Gary played in the minors for the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Dodgers organizations between 1982 and 1986, grew up in Gilbert, Arizona and was a fan of the Diamondbacks. However, during his time at Gonzaga, he saw firsthand how beloved the Mariners were in the state and immediately knew he wanted to one day be part of that vibe.
“Playing at Gonzaga, it’s really cool coming back after coming up through college and seeing Mariners fans and the culture with the fans and how much they cared about the team,” he said. “It’s really cool to end up in the stadium as a player and seeing all that.”
He considers himself doubly blessed to have played for organizations which are both based in great baseball towns, Cincinnati and Seattle.
“Even in Cincinnati, (there’s a) big fan-base there,” he said. “They really care about the team and they show out, especially opening day, it’s crazy there. It’s a similar vibe (to Seattle), the way the fans are behind the teams. That’s pretty cool.”
For Legumina, who had a GU-record 13 saves in 2018, being part of a growing contingent of former Gonzaga players in the major leagues – Baseball Almanac now lists 30 ex-Zags – is also pretty cool.
“It’s really cool and most of them are pitchers,” he said. “I feel honored to pitch in the big leagues. There are definitely going to be more guys coming up from Gonzaga (in the future). They prepared me for this situation and couldn’t thank them more.”
Legumina says one former Zag, Wyatt Mills – currently with the Boston Red Sox organization – was among the most helpful.
“Wyatt Mills was pretty helpful for me as a young guy coming up because he was the closer there,” Legumina said. “It was pretty cool, I always got to chop it up with him in the hot tubs the nights before we had games and in the hotel. Got to learn a lot from him and how he went about his business. It helped me take over that role from him the next year.”
Another fellow GU reliever, Alek Jacob, a Spokane native who like Legumina, debuted in 2023, has also helped on his MLB journey.
“I train with him in the offseason,” Legumina said. “I get to see what he does all offseason, work hard and for him to go out there and make the team (in San Diego), it’s pretty sick.”
The other person who has had an immeasurable impact on his baseball career was his father – advice he still draws on to this day.
“We were always outside working on stuff,” he said. “He was teaching me how to be a pitcher mentality-wise as a young kid and I can’t thank him enough because we had a bullpen mound in the backyard and he would squat down and catch me all the time.
“He did so many things for me. It was very valuable for me to have somebody like that at a young age just giving me some pointers.”
In Seattle, he’s already made a big impression on manager Dan Wilson.
“Legs has been great,” Wilson said. “He’s come in and you really see him wanting to attack the hitters … He’s got great stuff and we’ve seen that.”
Legumina has also shown great skills off the field. Despite playing in the majors over three seasons, he’s still considered a rookie, which means he’s got to fulfill certain duties, he said.
“Usually on the bus, I’m the tour guide so whenever we go to a new city,” Legumina said of the M’s recent Texas swing. “I usually give some recommendations on things to do … some random things to do if they have family in town, like the aquarium, the Dallas Zoo. The Titanic exhibit was another cool thing.
“I usually give a few fun facts about the area,” he said. “It’s kind of cool because I learn about what’s going on around here, so then I want to go do something and don’t have to look anymore because I already did the work. I don’t mind it. It’s not too bad.”
The work he likes best, though, comes from the mound.
“Honestly, just being out there and competing (is what I love most),” Legumina said. “It’s just you and the batter. That’s probably my favorite part. I’ve got to go up there and give him my best and he’s trying to give me his best and may the best man win.”
Stephen Hunt is a freelance writer based in Frisco, Texas.