Local hero, John Olerud, retired first baseman of the Seattle Mariners, livers here. John Garrett Olerud (nicknamed Big Rude and Johnny O (born August 5, 1968 in Seattle, Washington) is a retired American first baseman in Major League Baseball. Olerud played with the Toronto Blue Jays (1989-96), New York Mets (1997-99), Seattle Mariners (2000-2004), New York Yankees (2004) and Boston Red Sox (2005).