Safeco Field
What originally fueled the B4B idea was to visit each major league baseball stadium across the country. Now that our dreams will become reality beginning in 2012, we will want to share our greatest experiences with followers of our journey. We’ll report on fan devotion, best concessions, most memorable park moment in history and video blogging each 7th inning stretch the B4B crew will sing along to all season. We really want our readers to experience each stadium along with us.
Over the next few months, the B4B blog will be providing previews of each major league stadium. We will give some historical background, along with plenty of pictures. We would love to get fans perspective on each park as well, so please provide feedback on your favorite stadium on facebook and twitter. Our posts will take us from the oldest stadium all the way to the brand new Marlins Stadium. We hope you enjoy.
Safeco Field
Safeco Field has been home to the Seattle Mariners since the 1999 season. The stadium seats 47,878 for baseball and is located in the SoDo section of Seattle. Safeco Field was built next to the decrepit Kingdome in which the neighborhood was named for being located South of the Dome.
In the mid-90’s, the Mariners were receiving renewed attention because they had a competitive team with a superstar in Ken Griffey Jr. The 1995 team in particular was endearing to fans because they mounted a late-season comeback after being down by as many as 13 games to win the American League West. The biggest play in franchise history came in Game 5 of the ALDS when Edgar Martinez hit a series winning double to score both Joey Cora and Griffey in the bottom of the 11th inning. Talk about drama, and that pretty much sealed the deal for a new stadium.
The Mariners christened Safeco Field with a 3-2 loss to the Reggie Sanders led San Diego Padres. Jamie Moyer started that game for the Mariners and threw 8 innings with only 1 earned run, but Jose Mesa proceeded to blow the save. If my math is correct, Jaime Moyer would have been 36 years old and have 13 seasons in the league at the time of the first game at Safeco Field. That same man is now almost 50 years old, and pitching for the Rockies. I’m speechless.
Mariners fans had so much love for Griffey that when he returned to Safeco Field in 2007 as a member of the Cincinnati Reds, the welcome mat was rolled out, so to speak. The Mariners organization unveiled a new poster that declared Safeco Field “The House the Griffey Built.” Fans love Griffey so much they could care less if he takes a nap during games.
Safeco Field is Biking for Baseball’s first stop on April 13. We’re excited to see them take on Oakland in a battle of AL West rivals. It’s going to be the beginning of an awesome adventure and we can’t wait.