ANAHEIM, Calif. — On Tuesday, in an eventual 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium, Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Logan Gilbert recorded seven strikeouts, moving him up an impressive list in franchise history.

Gilbert's seventh strikeout was the 1,048th of his career, all with the Mariners, tying him for fourth in in franchise history with Mark Langston.

And Langston, who has been an Angels broadcaster since 2012, was in attendance to see it.

"I said it even on the air (Tuesday)," Langston said in an interview Wednesday at Angel Stadium. "(Gilbert's) the ace of a team of aces. That's a pretty significant thing to say with this staff, as many great pitchers and starters that they have. He's been the leader, ever since I watched that guy pitch, he's always been that guy. ... He's an elite pitcher in the game of baseball and he's proven that. His numbers speak for themselves."

Langston had a lengthy major league career that spanned from 1984-1999 and included stops with Seattle ('84-89), Montreal (1989) and Los Angeles ('90-97). The Mariners selected him 35th overall out of San Jose State in the 1981 MLB Draft.

"Wherever you start — that starting point is always going to be one of the most important parts of your journey throughout playing at the big league level," Langston said. "My start was in Seattle and, to play there — I thought I'd play my whole career in Seattle. I really did. I didn't want to leave."

The southpaw's time ended in the Pacific Northwest after he was traded to the Montreal Expos in 1989 as part of the deal that brought Randy Johnson to Seattle. Langston was a one-time All-Star, two-time Gold Glove leader and a three-time American League strikeout leader with the M's. With the Angels, he was part of a combined no hitter in 1990. He also earned three more All-Star selections and started a Midsummer Classic.

Despite spending more time in his playing and post-playing career with Los Angeles, Langston's time with Seattle is still crucial to history the franchise.

A significant number of the key contributors on the team with Langston's in his rookie year of 1984 came up in the minor leagues together, including the player with the moniker of "Mr. Mariner," former first baseman Alvin Davis, who caught up with Langston during the series this week.

Both Langston and Davis were among the players revealed on Seattle's 50 Greatest Players list, which was revealed earlier this season. The August ceremony is the greatest gathering of top players in the franchise's half-century history.

"It was an incredible thrill just to be a part of that group," Langston said. " ... So good to see so many faces that I hadn't seen in a long time."

On the call for many of Langston's starts was Rick Rizzs, who is nearing the end of his 41st and final season in the broadcast booth. He'll be inducted in the Mariners Hall of Fame next year, joining his former broadcaster and the late, great Dave Niehaus as the only non-uniformed recipients of the honor.

"(Rizzs is) a pro," Langston said. "Those guys are the guys that — you can't just sneak your way in, whether you're a player or an announcer, in the big leagues. He paid his dues at the minor league level just like everybody else who puts a uniform on (and) goes out there. ... My partner, (Terry Smith), wherever Rick going up through the minor leagues, wherever Rick vacated, Terry took his spot. Rick was in Memphis and then he went to Columbus. Terry went to Memphis. Rick left Columbus to go to the Mariners, Terry went to Columbus.

" ... When I played up (in Seattle), we all lived up there. We all spent the winter there. We all did everything together. ... We'd all go bowling together, we'd do dinners together, we'd go to movies together. ... I love that guy."

As a player for both clubs and now a broadcaster with the Halos, Langston has seen many eras of both teams. He's about to see another one with the Angels.

Current Los Angeles owner Arte Moreno has an agreement to sell the team to Stan Kroenke for an MLB-record $4 billion. That deal has not officially gone through yet.

Kroenke owns a number of sports franchises and has won championships in the NFL, NHL, MLB, NBA and the top level of English soccer, the Premier League.

Langston had kind words to say about Moreno on the way out, but expressed excitement for the future of Los Angeles, which wouldn't bode well for Seattle if Kroenke is able to replicate his championship-winning approach in the MLB.

"I feel for Arte," Langston said. "Arte gets a bad rap, really bad. That guy spent money. He had Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon. And Anthony Rendon was a superstar at that point. I think those three guys played 38 (total) games on the field together. You have ownership that was spending money, trying to make these things happen. And when your high-priced guys aren't playing, most teams can't survive that. ... (Moreno) wanted to win more than anybody. He wanted to make this a really good team.

" ... But new ownership coming in, the Kroenke express is coming. They have been winners in everything that they touch. ... It's an entity that comes in with a proven track record and they do things at a very first-class rate. ... Their vision is to win and I think that they have the resources to be able to do that. I think they'll do it smart and I think they'll do it methodically."

The Mariners will take on the Colorado Rockies for three games beginning Friday night at Coors Field.