Take That, Damn Yankees

Michael Saunders had two base hits, including a home run in the first, as the Mariners beat their former players Freddy Garcia, Alex Rodriguez, Raul Ibanez, and Ichiro Suzuki by a score of 4-2

Yankees (58-38)

Jeter SS

Granderson CF

Rodriguez 3B

Cano 2B

Teixeira 1B

Ibanez LF

Chavez DH

Ichiro RF

Stewart C

Garcia (4-3, 5.37)

Mariners (42-56)

Ackley 2B

Saunders CF

Montero DH

Jaso C

Seager 3B

Wells LF

Carp 1B

Peguero RF

Ryan SS

Hernandez (8-5, 2.82)

Felix went a solid 7.1 innings, giving  up a solo shot to Granderson in the first and then getting out of a bases load jam in the 4th.  After that he pretty much soared until the 8th inning when he hit the leadoff batter, Jeter, who would come around to score after Felix was taken out of the game.

The Mariners are now 12-15 when I attend
Attendance: 31,908
Time of Game:  2:50

Mariners Lose Another Close One

The Mariners lost their 6th game by one run when I attend.  They've won 5 of them.  So out of the 24 games I've been to so far, pretty much half have been one run ballgames.  That's too much tension for one person to take, and we're only halfway through the season!

Orioles (42-37)

Nady LF

Hardy SS

Davis RF

Jones CF

Thome DH

Wieters C

Betemit 1B

Flaherty 3B

Andino 2B

Chen (7-4, 3.73)

Mariners (35-47)

Ichiro RF

Wells LF

Seager 3B

Montero DH

Olivo C

Saunders CF

Smoak 1B

Ackley 2B

Ryan SS

Hernandez (6-5, 3.09)

Felix Hernandez ran into one inning of trouble when he gave up four straight hits to the orioles.  Four runs ended up coming around to score and he was pulled after lasting only 5 1/3 innings.

It was looking dire for awhile as the Mariners were retired in order until one out in the 7th inning.  We made Chen look like Cy Young.  But thankfully Wells hits homer to left to end the perfect game.  We added three more in the 8th to tie the ballgame thanks to four straight hits and a bases loaded walk by Seager.  Unfortunately Montero stranded the runners to tend the inning.  In the top of the 9th Furbush gave up a two out homer to Andino, and we put up no threat in the bottom of the inning to lose by a final of 5-4.  Furbush has been unbelievable this year, so it is unfortunate that he slips up in a tied ballgame.

The Mariners are now 11-13 when I attend
Attendance: 16,270
Time of Game: 2:59

Masterful Felix Goes the Distance

It was probably in the top three performances I've seen by Felix... possibly the number one.  He was spot on, fired up, gutsy.  Striking out a career high 13 via 128 pitches.  And, just his luck, the Mariners were able to pull out a walk-off 1-0 win.

Red Sox (40-35)

Nava LF

Pedroia 2B

Ortiz DH

Saltalamacchia C

Gonzalez 1B

Middlebrooks 3B

Ross RF

Kalish CF

Aviles SS

Morales (1-1, 3.12)

Mariners (32-44)

Ichiro RF

Gutierrez CF

Seager 3B

Montero DH

Wells LF

Olivo C

Ackley 2B

Ryan SS

Felix (5-5, 3.36)

It was Morales' third start of the year, and he pitched 7 good innings.  However, Felix showed once again why he is The King!!!  

Scary moment in the 4th after Gutierrez got on with a the Mariners' first hit of the night.  In a pickoff attempt, Morales hit Guti in the face with the ball.  He was down on the ground writhing and remained on the ground for several mintues while they checked him over.  He was replaced by Saunders.  We weren't sure exactly where he was hit.  At one point someone said his jaw, but it looks like it hit him on his ear and he has a slight concussion.  That's the best possible outcome I can think of.  The dude has just horrible luck.  First his stomach issues last year, then his torn pec muscle and foot issue this year!  Hopefully he won't be out too long, but it was scary for awhile.

Casper Wells made two fantastic plays in the 8th inning to rob Aviles and Nava of base hits, the last a sliding grab toward foul territory to end the inning.  In the bottom of the 8th the Mariners went meekly in 7 pitches.  The 9th inning was probably the most gutsy and clutch inning I've seen in awhile.  Felix had 105 pitches through 8 innings.  He matched his career high 13 strikeouts with Pedroia then gave up a first pitch base hit to Ortiz, followed by a full count walk to Saltalamacchia.  It was his one and only walk.  Lillibridge came on to pinch run for Ortiz.  So we had runners on 1st and 2nd with one out.  Felix then proceeded to battle Gonzalez for an epic 9 pitch at-bat.  He was now in the 120s for his pitch count and running on pure guts and determination.  The ninth and last pitch of the at-bat was a towering fly ball that seemed to travel forever to left-center, but Saunders tracked it down to everyone's relief.  Next pitch, pop-up to second and Felix finished pumped up.

Wells, with those two fantastic plays in the eighth, stroked a one out double to left-center.  Boston intentionally walked Smoak to get to Olivo.  Except, Mr. Clutch John Jaso came in to pinch hit, and needed no time to stroke the game winning single to right.  The throw was close, but Saltalamacchia dropped the ball and the ballgame was over!  Celebration ensued.  Jaso continues to impress, stepping up time and again with the clutch hit.  Baseball sure is fun when you win.

The Mariners improved to 10-12 when I attend, with their 4th shutout.
Attendance: 20,692
Time of Game: 2:40

The Roof was closed the entire game.

Mariners Come Alive Too Late as Felix Struggles

Felix made his first start in 11 days after straining his back in his last start.  He continued his struggles of the last few weeks as he gave up 5 runs on 9 hits, and his offense gave him only 1 run. They scored three in the bottom of the ninth inning to make the final score 5-4, but it was too little too late.

Padres (20-41)

Venable RF

Forsythe 2B

Headley 3B

Quentin DH

Alonso 1B

Denorfia LF

Maybin CF

Hundley C

Cabrera SS

Richard (2-7, 4.58)

Mariners (27-35)

Ichiro RF

Ackley 2B

Montero DH

Seager 3B

Smoak 1B

Olivo C

Saunders CF

Figgins LF

Ryan SS

Hernandez (4-4, 3.42)

I'm hoping he can chalk this start up to being rusty, and not that Felix has lost it.  He was in trouble from the very beginning and didn't retire a side safely until the 5th inning.  The very first pitch was a bunt base hit by Venable. They caught him stealing, but Felix then proceeded to give a two out walk  an then hit a batter.  Thankfully he was able to get out of the jam with no damage.  The Padres got their lead batter on in each of the first four innings.  Denorfia singled in the 2nd, but Felix was able to get a double play and got out of the inning.  Unfortunately, he walked the leadoff guy in the 3rd, Cabrera, who ended up scoring on a two out single for the first run of the game.

Saunders was the first base runner for the Mariners in the third, but was doubled up on a Figgins grounder.  We scored our only run, until the ninth inning, thanks to a broken back single by Ichiro, Ackley single, then Seager ground out.  

Felix gave up 4 runs in his final inning.  He gave up a leadoff walk, then a bloop single that fell in-between Figgins and Ryan.  In fact it hit Ryan's glove, but he was trying to make an amazing over the shoulder "Will Mays" basket catch and just ran out of room.  Denorfia then hit into a fielder's choice to make runners on 1st and 2nd with one out.  Felix then gave up 2 consecutive singles then a "wild pitch" .  The ball hit the dirt before it crossed the plate.  Really, though, that was on Olivo.  He is a fucking catcher and needs to BLOCK THE DAMN PLATE.  Cabrera followed it up with an RBI single to make it - with one out.  He was then picked off of third, and Venable struck out on the next pitch to end the damage.1

Saunders had a fantastic games, 3-4 on the night and some nifty base running.   He almost had a grand slam in the sixth but hit the ball to deep left center and only made it to the warning track.  In the 5th he had a double down the left field line and then immediately stole third on the next pitch.  After Figgins was caught looking and Ryan walked, Ichiro ground to third to end the inning.  Until the 9th, our best opportunity to score was the sixth inning when we loaded the bases on three singles.  But, Saunders didn't quite get enough of the pitch.  He did, however, in the 9th inning.  With 1 out, down 5-1, he LAUNCHED a homer to deep center, and estimated 428 feet, for his 7th home run of the year.  Figgins then doubled, followed by pinch hitter Kawasaki who singled in Figgins to make it 5-3.  Ichiro singled on the next pitch to make it runners on 1st and 3rd with 1 out, and the winning run at the plate in Ackley.  He struck out, but the ball got past the catcher and Kawasaki scored to make it a 5-4 game.  Montero ground out to end the ballgame.  There was some excitement at the end, but unfortunately it was too late.  We had all kind of opportunities, and need to eventually break through on a consistent basis.  Felix can't be perfect every time.

Stephen Pryor, injured himself in the 9th inning, looks like a pulled groin.  Hopefully he isn't out too long.

The Mariners are now 7-9 when I attend

Attendance: 13,084

Time of Game: 3:02

Mariners Slammed for 3rd Straight Game

The Mariners turned back the clock to 1955 today and played as the Seattle Rainiers.  The sun was shining, the players looked dapper in their throwback uniforms, King's Court was out in force, but the Rainiers lost 5-3 as Pujols hit a homer in the third straight game.

Angels (22-25)

Trout CF

Izturis 3B

Pujols 1B

Morales DH

Trumbo RF

Kendrick 3B

Aybar SS

Calhoun LF

Wilson C

Williams (4-3, 3.74)

Rainiers (21-27)

Ackley 2B

Saunders CF

Ichiro RF

Seager 3B

Smoak 1B

Jaso DH

Olivo C

Carp LF

Ryan SS

Hernandez (4-3, 2.80)

Sporting replica uniforms, looking nice guys!

The Mariners dressed in some cool duds, King's Court was increased to a record four sections with special retro red t-shirts.  The weather was ridiculous, I had to hide in the shade the sun was so intense!   There was a great crowd on hand, but unfortunately Felix wasn't in his top form.  It would have been great to show the nearly 30k fans how much fun this team can be, but all we got was another loss.

The scoring opened up in the top of the 4th when Pujols hit a monster leadoff homer, 413 feet to the Mariners bullpen.  He had homers in the previous two games of the series, I think we single handidly revived his season!  The Pujols homer wasn't the difference maker, however.  That turned out to be a surprising pinch hit grand slam by  Callaspo in the 6th  .  At that point the Rainiers were up 2-1.

We scored two in  the 5th via a double, fielder's choice, and two singles.  After the grand slam, we tacked on a solo shot by Smoak in the to make it 5-3 Angels.  That was the ballgame, pretty much.  Smoak is definitely heating up.

Felix just wasn't his usual self, giving up five runs on ten hits. He's bound to have an off day here and there, and we were still within striking distance.

The Mariners were 4-4 in May, 6-8 overall when I attend.
Attendance: 29,483
Time of Game:  3:07

Mariners handle Darvish

The Mariners won their fourth in a row, 6-1, as Felix pitched 8 strong innings against the best team in the American League.

Rangers (26-16)

Kinsler 2B

Andrus SS

Hamilton CF

Beltre 3B

Young DH

Murphy LF

Cruz RF

Napoli C

Moreland 1B

Darvish (6-1, 2.60)

Mariners (19-24)

Ackley 2B

Saunders CF

Ichiro RF

Seager 3B

Montero DH

Smoak 1B

Jaso C

Carp LF

Ryan SS

Hernandez (3-3 ,3.02)

It was the first appearance at Safeco by rookie Yu Darvish, the heralded starting pitcher signed in the offseason from Japan.  It was our second time facing him, and once again the Mariners proved that he is human.  Last time we were unable to put him away early on.  Tonight, he lasted only four innings, trailing 5-0.  In all honesty it probably should have been 7-0 or 8-0, as we didn't take full advantage of our opportunities.  But the way Felix was pitching, the run in the first inning was all we needed for most of the game.

Josh Hamilton came into the game batting .389 with 18 HR and 47 RBI!!  Yep, you read that right.  The dude is leading the league in all categories, and I think we'd have to combine 3 or possibly 4 mariners to match his output.  Contrast that to our third batter in the order, Ichiro, at .280 with 1 HR and 14 RBI... having a true middle of the order guy instead of a 7/8 hitter and who knows what we'd be doing!  Anyway, Felix was able to handle Hamilton, retiring him all four times including two strikeouts in which Hamilton looked like a fooled rookie.

The Mariners got their first run in the opening inning after Saunders drew a four pitch walk, followed by an triple down right field line by Ichiro, it got stuck under the padding in foul territory.  Darvish ended up walking six total batters in his four innings.  We were retired in order in the 2nd, then Ryan lead off the 3rd with a single followed by Darvish's second walk of the game to Ackley.  With no outs and runners on 1st and 2nd, Saunders laid down a bunt up the first base side, unfortunately Moreland went for the forced out at third.  So, once again runners on 1st and 2nd but now one out.  Ichiro, notoriously bad this year with runners in scoring position, laced an RBI single to center.  Ackley raced around to home, and Hamilton tried to throw out Saunders at third for some reason.  The throw sailed into the dugout, so Saunders scored and Ichiro was now on third!  Seager walked, leaving runners on 1st and 3rd with one out.  Montero then came through with a sacrifice fly to the warning track in center, making it 4-0.

In the fourth we probably should have added at least three or four more runs, but were unable to get a clutch hit.  Darvish loaded the bases to open up the inning on three walks, then Ackley hit a single to right to score Jaso, making it 5-0.  Unfortunately we then ground into two consecutive fielder's choices, forcing the out at home both times.  Seager then got caught looking in three pitches.  We had loaded the bases with nobody out, and couldn't muster a sacrifice fly or a ball hit out of the infield.  But, thanks to Felix, it didn't matter in the long run.  It was the last inning for Darvish, and we were retired in order in the 5th and 6th innings.  Our final run came in the 7th when  Montero hit an RBI double to left.

The Rangers got their lone run in the top of the 8th, when Moreland launched a solo shot to right field that traveled 403 feet.  What was funny is that I called it earlier in the game.  There were about 4/5 fans in the row in front of me who were ragging on Moreland all night for some reason.  They were just teasing him and yelling at him.  That homer was his answer.   It would have been nice to shut out the Rangers, but I got a chuckle out of it.

The Mariners improved to  6-5 when I attend!
Time of Game: 2:49
Attendance: 18,672

Felix and Seager Snap 7 Game Skid

It was a beautiful night at the ballpark while Felix cruised through 8 innings of one hit ball and Seager knocked in four runs as the Mariners snapped their 7 game losing streak with a 7-0 shut out.

Twins (7-18)

Span CF

Carroll SS

Mauer DH

Willingham LF

Doumit C

Parmalee 1B

Valencia 3B

Komatsu RF

Casilla 2B

Marquis (2-0, 6.23)

Mariners 11-17

Ackley  2B

Ryan SS

Ichiro RF

Montero C

Seager 3B

Jaso DH

Smoak 1B

Carp LF

Saunders CF

Hernandez (2-1, 2.23)

Felix looked good from the start, he struck out nine while giving up just two walks and a hit.  All of those were in the 4th inning as he loaded the bases.  But Felix pitched his way out of the jam and the Twins were unable to reach base the rest of the game.  At that point, it was still a scoreless game.

The home team had at least one runner reach base in each of the first four innings but was unable to capitalize as they hit into three double plays.  They were retired in order in the 5th but then were able to break through in the 6th inning with two runs.  With the way Felix was pitching, I was sure that the two would be enough and it turned out to be the case.  Ackley lead off the inning with an infield single.  Then, Ryan was able to get down a sacrifice bunt to advance Ackley.  In the 3rd inning Ryan had been unable to sacrifice Saunders and Ackley (after back to back walks to start the inning) with failed bunt attempts, and ended up striking out.  In the third, Ichiro then hit into a double play.  This time,  Ichiro then drew an eight pitch walk.  Montero followed with a groundout to the pitcher that advanced the runners, with two outs.   Seager then took a 2-0 pitch up the middle for a two rbi single and we had all the runs Felix would need.  Jaso followed by what I like to call the "intentional unintentional" walk as Smoak has been struggling all year.  Sure enough, he ended the inning with a flyball to left.

We added on a bunch of insurance in the 7th inning.  While it was exciting to see, we didn't need it, but it would good to see production out of our lineup.  Carp leadoff with a walk, then Saunders laid down a bunt for a single.  They put in Wells as pinch runner for Carp.  Ackley drew another walk, loading the bases for Ryan who had already laid down a sacrifice bunt his previous at-bat.  This time, he did his job with a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Wells and advancing Saunders to third.  So here comes Ichiro.  1st and 3rd with 1 out, similar to his 3rd inning at-bat when there were runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out and he hit into a double play.  This time... he didn't.  He launched an 0-1 pitch the the "sweet spot" in right-center for a TRIPLE!  It was now 5-0.  One out later, on his first pitch, Seager launched his 4th home run of the year to right field that traveled 395 feet.  7-0 Mariners and that was the ballgame.

Easy for me to say that Seager is the player of the game with his 2 hits and 4 RBI, closely followed by Felix.  He was excellent, but without Seager's offense it could have been a whole different ballgame.  It is important to support Felix, as he pitches his heart out every game and rarely sees a reward for his efforts.  Felix didn't come out to pitch the 9th, but I guess it was because there was no need.  The game was in hand, no reason to risk his health on a cold night.  I was hoping to see a complete game from him.

Everyone in the lineup contributed, by either getting on base or producing a run.  That's what you like to see.  We had had 7 hits and 8 walks, with only 2 strikeouts.  This has already been a streaky season and we are only a month in, it is going to continue to be a long but interesting ride.

Mariners now 3-5 when I attend
Attendance:  28,437
Time of Game: 2:33

Mariners Disappoint in 2012 Home Opener

Opening Day is full of optimism and excitement.  I look forward to new additions to the food, ballpark, and to seeing old friends.  I love singing Take Me Out to the Ballgame and counting down from 10 at the home plate entrance before they open the gates.  I love the brass band that tours the concourse, bringing that "old time" feel.  I had reason to be excited this year, as we were 4-4 on our road trip and our offense had showed some signs of life.  Well, it didn't tonight as we lost 4-0.

Athletics (3-4)

Weeks 2B

Crisp LF

Reddick RF

Cespedes CF

Smith DH

Suzuki C

Barton 1B

Donaldson 3B

Pennington SS

Colon (1-1, 5.89)

Mariners (4-4)

Figgins LF

Ackley 2B

Suzuki RF

Smoak 1B

Seager 3B

Montero DH

Saunders CF

Olivo C

Ryan SS

Hernandez (1-0, 4.40)

Unfortunately the best part of the ballgame was in the first inning and prior to that with the traditional Opening Day ceremonies.  The team trotted out on a red carpet, they had the annual "run around the bases" by a make a wish kid.  The most exciting was Mike Cameron threw out the first pitch and it was announced that he signed a contract earlier in the day so that he could retire as Mariner.  What a class act.  After he left years ago, I bought a t-shirt on sale and pulled it out of my drawer.  I'd never worn it!  It was a little big, but had to sport my Cammy attire.  There was also a nice tribute to Greg Halman before the game.  Such a loss.

Felix looked fired up in the first inning, striking out the first two batters he faced.  The rest of the game, he got into a few jams but as he learned a couple of years ago he held fast and kept us in the ballgame.  As was often the case last year, his offense failed him.  In the second inning, he struck out Cespedes from Cuba (already has hit 3 homers against us this year), then gave up his first hit to Smith who was doubled up as Suzuki ground into a 6-4-3 DP.  In the third inning the ballgame was pretty much decided.  Felix gave up three hits, walked one, and gave up his two runs before escaping.  The next inning, Oakland loaded the bases with 1 out via a double, walk, and single. But, he got out of trouble again.  It was unfortunate that we couldn't muster any sort of offense against Colon. 

Because of the way the weird opening in Japan has gone... this was the third time we've faced Colon already this year.  The first time in Japan we sucked, he lasted 8 innings of 1 run, 3 hit ball in a 4-1 loss. The second time in Oakland we roughed him up on our way to an 8-7 victory: 4.1 IP, 10 H, 7 R.  This year is was yet again 3 measly hits in 7 innings.  It started out with getting two runners on in the first, which made me think that we had a chance today with the way that Felix looked in the first.  But we scattered our three hits and was never able to get any offense going.  Really frustrating, so the last three games I have attended the Mariners have been shut out.

A positive, Ichiro is now out of the lead off spot.  Unfortunately they have him in at the third spot... but really I can't see anyone filling that role for now.  Singles hitters should be down at the bottom of the order, not in the meat of your lineup.  Another positive, my new seats on the aisle in row 7 look to be great seats!  There were a lot of people walking up and down, but hopefully that will die down with smaller crowds.

Olivo had another passed ball in the 8th.  Appalling.  It led to us being down 3-0 instead of 2-0.  But it didn't matter, I guess, since we couldn't score.

The announced attendance was 46,026 but there were noticeably empty patches in the outfield and 300 level.  Could this be due to the fact their credit card processing system was offline most of the game?  I doubt it.  More likely someone swooped in at the last minute to purchase tickets to make it seem sold out, or people decided not to go.

I got the new brisket sandwich, which was $9.75, cheaper than last year, but absolutely disgusting.  It was cold, the meat was of poor quality, and it was much less tasty than last year.  I will not be getting it again.  They did add sweet potato fries, though, so that should be interesting. 

All in all, a disappointing and frustrating night.  1 down, 80 more to go!

The Mariners are 0-1 when I attend.

Felix With 5th Complete Game

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!  What a way to end the month of August.  Carp tied the Mariners rookie mark for RBIs in a month, Felix passed Jamie Moyer for 2nd on the strike out list (trailing only Randy Johnson) as well as passed 200 strike outs in a season for the third year in a row.  This game had it all, fantastic defense, pitching, clutch hitting, and a come from behind 2-1 win.

Angels  (73-62)

Aybar SS

Kendrick 2B

Hunter RF

Trumbo 1B

Callaspo 3B

Bourjos CF

Trout LF

Mathis C

Haren P

Mariners (57-77)

Ichiro DH

Gutierrez CF

Ackley 2B

Carp 1B

Olivo C

Seager 3B

Wells RF

Ryan SS

Robinson LF

Hernandez P

With Felix and Haren on the mound, we knew it had the potential to be a great game.  When both pitchers are on, they're ON.  As with the majority of fantastic pitchers, you have to hit them in the first couple of innings or it will be a long night.

Haren gave up a walk in the first and a double in the second... which was followed by retiring the next 15 batters until a single by Carp in the 7th inning.  It was an inning in which we loaded the bases but weren't able to break out for a run. 

At that point we were trailing 1-0 thanks to a leadoff broken bat single by the speedy Trout in the 3rd who came around on another single by Kendrick after advancing to second base on a sac bunt.  The single by Kendrick followed Felix's 3rd strikeout in the game, Aybar, which made him pass Jamie Moyer to the number 2 position on career strikeouts at 1,240.  He ended up with another 6 on the night.

Felix wasn't perfect, but he was definitely sharp.  At one point, from the 4th to the 8th inning, he retired 12 in a row.  His final line:  9 IP, 109 P, 5H, 1 R, 9 K, 1 BB

So here Felix is, pitching his ass off again and looking at another complete game loss.  We got to Haren in the 7th but were unable to score.  Needless to say, I was less than confident with Robinson and Ichiro up 1 and 2 in the order in the top of the 8th.  As predicted, neither produced.  But Gutierrez, having refound his stroke in the month of August, got a single up the middle and WE WERE ALIVE!  Ackley quickly followed with a single of his own and we had runners at the corners.  All we needed was a single to tie or a well placed double to put us ahead.  Carp came up to the plate, needing those two RBI sitting on the bases to tie Danny Tartabull in 1986 for most RBIs by a Mariners rookie in any month (25).

After a pitching change in which Haren was pulled, on a 2-1 pitch Caro smoked it... and I mean smoked, to left center which got past Bourjos for a double that scored both runners!  The crowd went nuts.  Carp had tied the rookie record, we were up 2-1, and with the way Felix was pitching there was no doubt he wouldn't come out to complete the game.  To the roar of the crowd, he came trotting back out to the 9th and retired the first two batters via strikeouts.  Then, Trumbo took a 1-1 pitch deep to RF, but thankfully it was grabbed at the warning track for the final out.  Everyone went home happy and pumped up from the excitement.

Gyro
15-16 when I attend
18,520 att

"Infield Triple"

I've said it before and I'll say it again, one of the reasons I love baseball is that you always see something different at the ballpark.  Tonight was a wacky game!  With King Felix on the mound in front of 22,576 we saw a play that we will probably never see again.  Well, possibly... but it happens very rarely.

Athletics 

Weeks 2B

Crisp CF

Matsui LF

Willingham DH

Sweeney RF

Jackson 1B

Suzuki C

Sogard SS

Sizemore 3B

Harden P

Mariners

Ichiro RF

Ryan SS

Ackley 2B

Carp DH

Kennedy 3B

Olivo C

Smoak 1B

Wells LF

Gutierrez CF

Hernandez P

In the bottom of the first inning, Brendan Ryan, with 1 out, hit a chopper to third and was safe at first on the throw.  Don't know how it happened, but for some reason many Athletics missed their assignment.  The 2nd baseman had gone to back up at first, but nobody was anywhere near 2nd base so Ryan took off for second.  As this was happening their third baseman ran to 2nd to take a throw, which never came... and nobody backed up third!  Ryan took off for third!!!  He slid in safely and may have singledhandidly won this game, 'cause after a walk by Ackley Carp hit a 2 RBI 2B and we had spotted Felix two runs in the 1st.  We never trailed the rest of the game.

In the third inning Ackley knocked yet another triple... this time it was "ground rule" triple as a fan reached over and picked up the ball.  Ackley was already turning at 2nd so the umpire awarded Ackley third instead of calling it a ground rule double.  The fan was dressed up exactly like Ichiro and was escorted from the seat.  A lot of twitter and fan buzzing, and "Fake Ichiro" wasn't booted from the stadium.  He did a couple of interviews, more than the real Ichiro will ever do!

Wells gave us insurance with a 2 run shot in the 6th , his first homer with us after arriving in the Fister trade. It turns out we needed it as the Athletics added a Sizemore 2 run homer of their own in the 7th.  It was to straightaway center and surprised a lot of people.  He hit it solid.  And Felix's day was over.  He had another solid outing, 6.1 IP with 9K, 2R, 5 H, and 3 BB.

Then there was more weirdness in the 8th inning as the A's loaded the bases with 1 out. Kurt Suzuki, who had given us huge problems over the years, ended up striking out on a pitch that hit him!  We got out of the inning a batter later... and that was pretty much the ballgame.  We ended up halving the score from yesterday at 4-2 being the final score.

Ate Ginger Chicken Veggie Noodles and my mom joined me for most of the game.  She left in the top of the 7th. 

This is the first time we've won 2 in a row since July 4/5.  The Mariners improved to 12-13 when I attend.  We go for the sweep tomorrow!

A Celebration of History

The rolled out the red carpet tonight for the 2001 team, at least those who could make it to the game.  It was a little weird to remember all of the wonderful memories from that year, especially in contrast to the offensive ineptitude of this year.  It almost feels as if any of those retired ballplayer... whether it be Dan, Jay, Edgar, Olerud, Boone... could pick up a bat and come up with better results than any of our current team.  We haven't made the playoffs since the historic 116 win 2001 season, which is hard to believe, but isn't.  Between 1995 and 2001 we made the playoffs 4 times and haven't been back since. Will we ever go back!?

Rangers (53-41)

Kinsler DH

Andrus SS

Hamilton LF

Beltre 3B

Young 2B

Cruz RF

Moreland 1B

Torrealba C

Chavez CF

Wilson P

Mariners (43-50)

Ichiro RF

Ryan SS

Ackley 2B

Olivo C

Smoak 1B

Kennedy DH

Gutierriez CF

Seager 3B

Halman LF

Hernandez P

Coming into the game we had 26 consecutive scoreless innings, the team record being 29.  Well, we made history tonight.  Kinsler led off the game with a solo shot to left, and that was the game.  We had to score 2 runs to win and were only able to get 1, in the 5th inning.  The inning prior we had reached the club record 30 consecutive innings without scoring.  Yippee, History of Ineptitude.

The tie was short lived, as Texas regained the lead in the 6th inning.  We looked like we could maybe get another run in our half of the sixth when Smoak got a 1 out walk, but Kennedy grounded into a double play.  The Rangers added three more insurance runs (including another solo shot by Kinsler) in the 8th and we lost by a final score of 5-1.  The Rangers picked up their 10th win in a row, we dropped our 8th in a row, and we are now 10.5 games back in the AL West.  We're done, cooked... I wish we were Smoaked but the kid has been struggling.

Eric Wedge was ejected in the 8th inning on a "Balk" called against Felix, I was hoping for an exciting Lou Piniella impression since he was in the ballpark.  Nope.  I went to the game with a friend from Iowa, she said she had fun!  Unfortunately we couldn't pull a win for her.  I tried to explain scorekeeping.  She asked me why the DH and not pitcher.  Don't know, those are the rules!  That's like asking why they have four balls and three strikes! 

Had a Turkey Crepe, shared onion rings, and we got 116 shirts.  The Mariners dropped to 10-12 when I attend.  They were also outscored by the Sounders 4-1.  The Attendance was 30,896.

A Safeco First

Notice anything different?

Well, like I've said many times before you always see something at the ballpark that you've never seen before... whether it be an unassisted triple play, a weird bounce off a base or fielder, or a broken bat that sails 150 feet.  Tonight, for the first time, the Mariners played as an away team at Safeco while using National League rules.  It was the first time in MLB during the DH era that pitchers batted at an AL ballpark! 

The Mariners came into this having been swept by the Nationals despite only giving up 1 ER in 3 games.  That's inexcusable.  We fell below .500 for the first time since May 25th.  The Marlins came into the game at 2-20 for June.

The Lineups:

Mariners (37-38)

Ichiro Suzuki RF

Brendan Ryan SS

Adam Kennedy 3B

Justin Smoak 1B

Dustin Ackley 2B

Miguel Olivo C

Carlos Peguero LF

Franklin Gutierrez CF

Felix Hernandez P

Marlins (33-42)

Emilio Bonifacio CF

Logan Morrison LF

Gaby Sanchez 1B

Hanley Ramirez SS

Greg Dobbs 3B

Mike Stanton RF

John Buck C

Omar Infante 2B

Ricky Nolasco P

Watching the Mariners bat first in gray uniforms was definitely a different experience.  Usually we hear the national anthem, then the mariners gets introduced as they trot out to the field... followed by a "play ball" cheer from some lucky kid.  Side rant... how come they never had any of these running around the bases/kids day/open the game/in the broadcast booth promotions when I was a kid!  The only thing we got to do was walk around the field once a year.  This time it was "play ball" with the Mariners batting first!  The Marlins took the field to scattered applause.

King's Court going crazy with Ks

The Mariners went down in order and Felix ran into some trouble the first two innings.  He caught Bonifacio looking in the first.  King's Court, expanded to three sections tonight, waved their K signs and went crazy everytime he got to two strikes in a count.  Then, he walked Morrison who two batters later got picked off to end the inning.  The Mariners went down in order in the top of the second as well.  The bottom of the second sure was an interesting one.

Ramirez, who had been up at the plate when Morrison was picked off first the prior inning, led off by flying out to Guti on the first pitch.  Then, former Mariner Dobbs walked.  Stanton struck out swinging.  The next batter, Buck, was hit by a pitch on an 0-1 count.  The next batter is when it got really interesting.   With the count 2-2, Felix pitched inside and it looked like the ball hit off of the knob of the bat.  Infante acted like he had been hit on his hand.  The initial call was a foul, but Jack McKeon came out and protested... the umpires met for a conference and then called Wedge over to discuss.  In a rarity, the umpires reversed a call.  The delay was at least seven minutes, and the fans were not pleased.  Infante trotted out to first and the bases were loaded, all without a hit.    According to the radio it hit off the knob of the bat.  Fortunately, Felix was able to get out of the inning 'cause the pitcher was up, and Nolasco flied out to Left to end the threat.  Felix threw 41 pitches in the first two innings!

Hit It There!!

In the top of the third, there was some excitement.  Peguero sturck out but then Guti had a good AB and before he grounded out to third he hit a foul ball right in front of us in which the ball dropped between the 1B and RF.  You don't see a foul in play missed that often.  Felix Hernandez, with two outs, came up to the plate and the crowd when wild!  He got a rousing cheer.  The King's Court turned their cards around and on the back it said "Hit It There" with and arrow pointing to the field.  He fouled off the first pitch which drew appreciation from everyone.  Then, on the next pitch he hit it solidly to the opposite field, right through the hole between 1st and 2nd.  Felix had the first hit of the game, and became the first pitcher to ever get a hit at Safeco!  He was only the third pitcher to ever get an AB at Safeco after Nolasco and Hipolito Pichardo.  Ichiro grounded out to end the inning.  The Mariners then went down in order until the 7th inning.

The Marlins went down in order in the 3rd with Felix notching two Ks.  In the 4th inning he gave up a leadoff hit up the middle to Ramirez who advanced to second on a groundout to the pitcher.  Ramirez further advanced when he stole a base on a probable hit and run when Stanton struck out.  So, there were two out with a runner on third.  On a 2-2 count Buck struck out swinging, but Olivo couldn't handle the pitch and lost the ball as it went past him.  He found it and threw to first, but  Buck was safe and Ramirez had come in to score the first run of the game.  This was all on Olivo, but Felix was charged with the WP.  He got out of the inning when Infante grounded out to third.  He allowed only two more baserunners the rest of the game, a hit in the sixth and another hit batter (Buck for the second time) in the seventh.  His final line, 8 IP, 10k, 2h, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 HBP

FC, and IBB (to Ackley), Olivo came to the plate with one out looking to redeem himself.  He ended up knocking Kennedy in with the tying run on a FC.  So now there were runners on 1st and 2nd with 2 out.  Peguero hit an infield single to deep short to load the bases again, and Guti came up with the bases loaded.  He came into the game batting only .192 with 0 HR and 6 RBI.  On a 1-1 count he knocked the ball up the middle into center, driving in 2 runs and the Mariners were up 3-1!  It was a big hit for him, hopefully he will start to come out of his season long slump.

In the 9th inning with Ackley walked with one out, and Olivo had an 8 pitch AB in which King's Court started changing oo Liv o ohhhh (like the Wizard of Oz chant). Don't ask me why they started chanting like that.  But, it worked, as he knocked a pitch 352 feet just over the fence near the left field foul pole to make it a 5-1 game. Yep, I would say he redeemed himself pretty well.  Peguero struck out and Guti got another base hit.  While Guti was at the plate, Felix came into the on deck circle and the crowd went crazy! After Guti's hit he went back to the dugout and Cust came out to pinch hit amid Boos from the seats.  On the postgame show Wedge said that Felix was going to come back out to finish off the game, but when Olivo hit the homer he didn't want to risk it.  Cust struck out looking, which did not please the fans.  League came in to finish of the bottom of the 9th.

looking strange in the away grays

It was a fun and exciting game., a lot of interesting moments.  I kept looking at the wrong part of the scoreboard and it took time to get used to cheering for the gray uniforms.  The novelty of Felix hitting was cool, but I think over time that would wear off (just like interleague play).  Personally I would like to see it abolished altogether and have it go back to only in the WS and All-Star game in which the leagues meet.  Unfortunately it is all about money, and it continues to draw bigger crowds.

I had a Gyro and Kettle Corn, and scored the game.

The roof was closed in the top of the first.  

The attendance was 15,279

The Mariners improved to 38-38 overall and  9-7 when I attend.

Phillies Win, but Future Looks Bright!

King's Court - Newly Expanded!

Tonight, it was King Felix on the mound! About a month ago the Mariners implemented a "King's Court" promotion in which you can buy a ticket in a special section and receive a shirt and crown. Genius marketing guys. Because of popularity they extended this to an additional section. Also, in quite an awesome coincidence, there was a Felix giveaway with King Felix knit caps for the first 20k fans.  It was very Felix oriented tonight, and the reigning Cy Young award winner deserves it!  Coming into the game Felix had the top June winning percentage in ML history with a minimum of 15 starts at .810.

I was unable to attend yesterday's game because of family bonding, but Ackley singled in his first ML AB and our starting pitcher, Pineda, had 5.2 innings of no-hit ball. We ended up winning 4-2 to stay just half a game back in the AL West! It was pretty magical yesterday. Today, a little of that magic remained. I am proud to say that I was there, and scored, Dustin Ackley's first Major League Homer!

Philadelphia came into the series having won 7 consecutive games with the best record in the Majors.  They have a potent lineup and top notch rotation.  Thankfully, we get to skip Cliff Lee and Roy Hallada in the series.  Here are the starting lineups. 

Phillies (43-27)

Jimmy Rollins SS

Shane Victorino CF

Chase Utley 2B

Ryan Howard 1B

Placido Polanco 3B

Raul Ibanez LF

Ross Gload DH

Dominic Brown RF

Carlos Ruiz C

Vance Worley P

Mariners (36-34)

Ichiro Suzuki RF

Brendan Ryan SS

Adam Kennedy 3B

Justin Smoak 1B

Miguel Olivo C

Carlos Peguero LF

Dustin Ackley 2B

Mike Carp DH

Greg Halman CF

Felix Hernandez P

Unfortunately, while not part of the Phillies' heralded top 4 of Halladay, Lee, Oswalt, and Hamels... we were only able to score one run off of Worley and the bullpen shut us down.  That means that Felix had to be perfect tonight.  He wasn't, and he picked up his 6th loss of the season as we lost by a final score of  5-1.  While he was in and out of trouble through various parts of the game... an unlucky double in the 7th down left field line that hit the chalk and bounced into the stands turned a tied ballgame into a 3-1 game, and his sixth loss of the season.  It looked like he was going to get out of the jam, but the Phillies aren't the best team in the Majors out of luck.  They're good.

Jimmy Rollins led of the game with a single to right then advanced to second on a Wild Pitch.  Honestly, it should have been on Olivo.  He continues to have problems blocking at the plate and catching the ball.  I know he has won us a few games with his bat, but he's lost us a few games with his glove.  Rollins had a great day as he went 3-4 with a BB, SB, and 2 Runs scored.  Victorino, batting 2nd, had an even bigger day.  He went 3-4 with a BB, 2B, 3B, HR, 1 Run and 4 RBI.  Rollins scored on a SAC Fly by Howard in the first (his 58th of the year!).

In the bottom of the first the Mariners threatened...  after Ichiro and Ryan made two easy outs, Kennedy singled to right which brought up Justin Smoak batting cleanup for the second day in a row.  He hit an opposite field bomb to left that hit off the wall for a 2B, it was just a foot shy of a home run.  Kennedy didn't come around the score, not sure if he would have been thrown out or not but we'll never know.  That would have tied the game up, but you never want to make your third out at home.  Olivo then grounded out to the pitcher.

Ackley and Smoak, both from North Carolina,  warming up.

In the second inning Peguero struck out swinging which brought up Ackley.  On a full count he launched a pitch 386 feet to the right field stands, and the crowd went absolutely wild.  People were jumping up and down, high fiving strangers.  Ackley got a standing ovation, which continued until he stepped back out of the dugout for his curtain call.  It was a pretty awesome experience.  Carp, coming into the game 5-18 on the year with a .409 OBP worked a walk, and Halman followed with a single.  He entered the game batting .409 (9-22)  Halman ended up going 2-3 with a SB and his first BB of the year.

I am really liking what I'm seeing from Halman.  Ever since he was called up this year he has hustled and produced.  Carp quietly goes about his business, Peguero has ridiculous power (In the 6th inning his broken bat went 20 rows the section behind 1st base).  Smoak, while struggling at times, has the best OBP on the team (.354 and he drew another BB today).  Ackley, there is no reason he won't be a productive hitter, he has been at every level he has ever played.  With Pineda and Felix in our starting rotation and these young fielders, how can you not be optimistic about the future!?

So the game remained 1-1 until the 7th inning, when Felix loaded the bases on 2 hits and a BB.  The walk to Rollins brought up Victorino and his ground rule double.  It hit the chalk line!  2 runs scored and that was the ballgame.  If the ball had only hit a few inches to the left, who knows what would have happened.  It is a shame, 'cause Felix had a gutsy performance and another quality start.  He wasn't in top form, but he kept us in it.

In the 9th Jamey Wright came in after Pauley pitched a scoreless 8th.  Wright has been struggling in June, and his struggles continued as he gave up a 1B to Rollins followed by a 2 Run HR to Victorino.  This was all with 2 outs.  Then, he hit Utley, but got Howard with a swinging strikeout.  So, instead of going into the bottom of the 9th within striking distance, we were down 5-1.  Halman had a 2 out single in the 9th but Ichiro ended the game with a strikeout.  He went 1-5 and ended his streak of 6 straight multi-hit games.

Tomorrow is the final game of the homestand, then we go to Washington for 3 and come home for a unique series against Florida.  U2 is on tour and will be using Florida's stadium, so the series was moved to Seattle and will be played with National League rules!  It should be interesting and I'm looking forward to it.  The Marlins aren't doing very well, only 1-17 in June!  

I went to 3 games this homestand (scored them all) and the Mariners were 1-2.  I had Garlic Chicken tonight, which is now $9.75. It wasn't as good as usual, they must have changed the recipe.

The attendance was 35,829 and the roof was closed (a lot of Phillies Red).  The Mariners dropped to 8-7 when I attend and 36-35 overall.  We are now 1.5 games behind Texas. I heard that only 1000 tickets remain for tomorrow's game.

Well, we just didn't get it done today. Felix Hernandez wasn't as sharp as he needed to be in the first inning, and it cost us. He gave up 2 runs and 1 hit in the first which led to 2 runs, and that's all Minnesota needed as we lost 2-1. In 8 of Felix's 10 starts he has given up 2 earned runs or less, and his record is 4-4. That's just a shame, all you can ask of any pitcher is to go 8 innings and give up a measly two runs... they shouldn't have to be perfect!

With a runner on 1st with one out, Olivo tried to break up the fielder's choice play at 2nd in the 9th. At this point we were down 1 and it was a huge play, could have been the difference between a win and a loss. Well, Wedge ejected. You could tell as soon as he got out there. There was a lot of gesturing and very close quarters, it looked like the brims of their caps were touching. After he got ejected he stuck around a few more moments. I was hoping for an exciting dirt kick or hat tossing, but they don't make managers like good ol' Lou anymore. Well Wedgie, congrats on your first ejection. Replays on the TV showed that it was a really close play, almost too close to call... in one angle Olivo was safe, in another he was out.

Sadly the flag was at half staff and a moment of silence before the game as Harmon Killebrew, MLB Hall of Famer and Legend, passed away this morning. He was one of the greats, without a doubt.

There is some good news to come out of the ballgame. Gutierrez will be activated tomorrow! He's been out the entire year because of an undiagnosed case of IBS. He had lost 10-15 pounds and all reports say he's pretty much full strength. We need this, defensively and offensively... and just in time for "Death to Flying Things" fly swatter day this Thursday.

Another positive, after allowing a walk to the first batter in the 9th, League got out of the inning with no damage by inducing a double play. After his disastrous previous 5 outings, let's hope he is on the way to turning things around.

I ate kettle corn and a hot dog.

The attendance was 16,015 and the Mariners are now 6-5 when I attend.

Felix Goes the Distance, M's Win Again!

I've been a bit sick this homestand, tonight was the first game I'd been to. Since the last game, they had gone 7-3 (including 5-1 on roadtrip) to enter the game at 15-17 and just three games behind Anaheim for the AL West lead. Okay, I know they are the LA Angels of Anaheim but sorry... they're not in Los Angeles! I can't believe I'm saying it but we are now 16-17!! Who would have thought!

Let's talk about this game, it had a little of everything. My sister said "I've never seen that before" when referring to the 4th inning blunder by Jack Wilson. With a runner on first and no out, Ramirez sacrificed with a bunt up the first base line, but it turned into a base hit when Olivo picked it up and found no one covering first... which should have been the second baseman as Smoak was charging for the ball as well. This turned into a huge mistake as there should have been one out and instead runners on 1st and 2nd. Pierre, on 2nd, ended up coming around to score the first run of the game on a sacrifice fly which should have been the third out of the inning.

In the 8th We had a rundown! A runner was caught off third after taking too large of a lead on a groundball to the shortstop Ryan, who made a heads up play and threw to third. After a couple of throws the runner was out and it provided a lot of excitement 'cause at that point we were still tied.

There was a Bradley ejection in the 8th, he got into the face of the HP umpire on a called third strike as Figgins slid into third with a steal. Konerko had earlier had a few words, but Milton was tossed and Wedge had to run out and hold him back from the umpire or he would have been facing a suspension. He waved the bat around a little. That was exciting but was lacking in the fun of those classic Lou moments when he would kick dirt, toss his hat etc.

Felix was outstanding, went 9 innings on 5 hits and just 2 runs (1 shouldn't have happened). His last out he was so fired up, my sister commented that she had never seen him that excited, that he is usually so calm. Oh no, he gets excited... and tonight was the perfect example. He picked up his 4th win of the year already.

Brendan Ryan had the game winning hit up the middle with pinch runner Kennedy on 3rd. The bench emptied and the crowd went wild, we had won the game 3-2! He had come into the game on an 1-23 slump, so this was a huge hit for him. He also had our first hit, a double, earlier in the game.

Smoak continues to impress me... since coming back from the bereavement list he has hit .353 with 3 HR, 13 RBI and OPS of 1.127. He had another good game with a key 2B, RBI, and a BB.

Ichiro Bobblehead night, annoying! But, over 31,000 fans got to see a great, entertaining ballgame. My sister and I both got pizza (Pepperoni) from The Pen and enjoyed it, but we both agreed that it wasn't enough food as we were still hungry. An annoying aspect was that I asked for the white pizza but five minutes later it still wasn't ready, and I was starving so I gave up. About halfway through the game we got some Kettle Corn ($4.75) which was decent, but the stuff outside is cheaper and better!! We had fun and she reported that it was her third game this year already, which was more than all of last year. No Dancing Grounds Crew today, but they did do YMCA early in the game which I hadn't seen in a long time. Some famous skater dude named Rob Dyrdek threw out the first pitch and my sister tried to get his autograph but the line was too long.

This will probably be my only game of the homestand since I am under the weather and need to fully recover. However, I do feel the fresh air and great game helped me out. I will see, it will be very tempting to sacrifice my health since we're one win from .500! At one point we were 4-11.

Oh, the roof was closed and they wore those ugly teal tops as you can see in the celebration picture up top.

The Mariners are now 5-4 when I attend!

This is Why I Love Baseball!

I know I've said it before, you never know what you're going to see at the ballpark on any given day and often will see something that has never happened. A few days ago, it was the first ball to hit the Safeco roof. Lately, it has been record breaking attendance (tonight third lowest ever with 12,770). Tonight we saw two firsts, a couple of OUTSTANDING defensive plays, a great pitching performance by King Felix, and a 1-0 win. I am so glad I taped this game 'cause I want to watch everything over again.

With the roof closed, Felix started off the game retiring the first eight batters he faced, then giving up a solid single in the third. He had a season high 8 ks against the Oakland A's... who believe it or not have scored fewer runs this year than the inept Mariners. He went 7.2 innings and got into a little trouble so Wedge brought in Wright, who has been LIGHTS OUT so far this year. He only needed one pitch to end the inning. League came in for a nail biting 9th and we pulled out the win. Everyone went home happy, and it was a quick game.

The defensive plays, a line drive snag above Figgins' head doubled off runner at first in the seventh... wow. Then later in the inning an amazing snag by Brendan Ryan at SS who somehow managed to get it off and Kennedy stretched out to snag the ball.

We got our lone run in the 4th when Kennedy, our 1B today, hit a solo shot. Smoak is on the bereavement list... his father passed away at the age of 54 from cancer. Truly sad for the young man, I wish him the best and hope he comes back soon. It seems like every year someone on the team loses a member of their family. That's just part of baseball, I guess, because of the long season and many many months they are away from family. It must be tough. But, Kennedy made several great defensive plays and he has pretty much done whatever Wedge has asked him to do (which is what is supposed to happen). He's been a pleasant surprise.

Let's get to the firsts... after Felix gave up his first hit he attempted to pick off the runner but threw the ball away, he was lucky in that the ball somehow ended up behind the tarp. Never before had we lost a ball in the tarp! So instead of the runner ending up on third (or scoring) he ending up on second! Another first, Carlo Peguero got his first ML hit with an infield hit in the third... he was then subsequently picked off two pitches later. Oops. Regardless, congrats on the milestone.

Interesting note... the Mariners have scored three runs the last two games after their 13 run outburst on Tuesday. Whenever we score that many runs I always say "save some for tomorrow!" Well, we lost 3-2 yesterday... today we only got 1 run but it was all we needed. It doesn't matter how much you score as long as you get the win!

My sister and her family were at the game today, one of her kids was at her first game! They gave me a ticket so I could join them in the terrace club, where they now have $8 credit on each ticket to go toward concessions. They also have special food you can't get anywhere else, like pasta and baked potatoes. I decided on a baked potato ($7.75) which was really good! My sister got nachos and was in heaven! I think they changed the concourse floor, although they may have changed it last year. I don't think I went to one game in the terrace club last year! Anyway, we ate together and then I wanted to go down to my seats to get closer to Felix. After three innings of fighting to see around the tall people in front of me, I decided to go back up to the terrace club. I actually had a better view of Felix, with no obstructions. I was able to see the tarp play unfold right in front of me, and didn't miss a single play as I walked around the concourse with no problem. Like I've said, I kind of like the small crowds, easy to get around! The kids an her husband left around then, and my sister and I enjoyed the rest of the game (after she helped the kids to the car and missed the only run of the game). We got a rice krispie treat and some mini chocolate chip cookies for dessert.

Best game of the year so far? Possibly! Ranks right up there with the Pineda outing. Speaking of which, tomorrow is Pineda day!

They are now back to .500 with me in attendance, at 3-3!

Mariners Win! Mariners Win!

Mariners win in improbable fashion, coming from behind after trailing 7-0 going into the bottom of the 7th. We had shown life all game, but never were able to produce until Milton smashed a homer to RF in the 7th. Then we scored 5 runs in the 8th thanks to THREE bases loaded walks. Then in the 9th Saunders led off with a double... ichiro walked, and Luis Rodrigues (came in for an injured Figgins earlier in the game) with an EPIC two out 10 pitch AB in which he launched a ball to the warning track for a game winning single. Way to go guys, way to go!

We snapped a 7 game losing streak, improving to 3-7... I was at this game and I hate to admit that I left in the top of the 8th. It was already 10pm and I had work the next morning. Well you know what, I'm never leaving another damn game early in my life. I wasn't the only one of the record low 13,056 to leave early, an estimated 2,000 or so fans stayed until the
end.

It was an excruciatingly long, frustrating, and crappy game which is why I left early. Felix just didn't have it from the get go, and wasn't bailed out by his defense. We couldn't even complete a rundown! That's little league baseball, guys. (Brendan Ryan dropped the ball). Not to mention the fact that I just didn't think we had any ability to come back and win. I thought we were 2010 all over again, but this team has shown signs of fight. Honestly, I was hoping for an all-out bases clearing brawl so everyone could just clear their emotions, get all the frustrations out. Looks like we didn't need to after all. My friend and I spent a majority of the game watching the out of town scoreboard "watching" other games. Tampa Bay beat Boston 16-5, at Fenway. Both teams are now 2-8!


I decided to try some of the new grub in The Pub. First was the Turkey Crepe, which included cheese, onions, red peppers, and mushrooms. Unfortunately they didn't allow me to remove cheese. In my belief, cheese masks the other flavors. I don't want it unless it is on pizza. Frankly it didn't look too fresh and I was unsure. The cost was $8.50. Pretty reasonable for Safeco prices.

The first few bites were okay, but it got much better a little further down! In all, the food left me wanting more. It was in a cool "pocket" so was easy to walk and bite without dripping or losing any of the valuable contents. Other Crepe choices included two dessert kinds (banana or strawberry with nuts) for $6.50, a veggie, and I think a roast beef? Not sure if I will try again, like I said I was still hungry.

Went back to the seats and talked/took in the sights for about twenty minutes. Then I decided that I was still hungry so needed to grab another bite to eat. I again went back to The Pub where I had been eyes the Wood Fired Pizza slices. They had three choices, pepperoni, cheese, and White. I asked what the white was and was told "Broccoli, Garlic, Olive Oil...". Boy I love Garlic so was sold. For $5 I was given a huge slice and quickly devoured it, so quickly that I forgot to take a picture until a few bites in.



It was good, really good. I pretty much finished the whole thing on the way back to my seat and my friend said that the "leavings" smelled really good. I will definitely be having another slice or two, and at $5 I think it may be one of the best deals at Safeco.

The crowd was interesting, surrounded by a lot of Toronto fans which didn't surprise me. There were a couple of obnoxious ones but mostly, like always, they were very playful and friendly. I've always enjoyed the Toronto series through the years. In the 90s when the Blue Jays were making their World Series runs, the Kingdome always had a fun energy level. For some reason a few people decided to bring their toddlers to the freezing cold game. I do not understand these people. One of my biggest baseball pet peeves.

What can I say, I left the game early... but I did listen on the way home and was able to catch the final out on TV. This one will go down in Seattle history books and I will be able to tell the story of how I was "at that game", and I left early.

M's Record While I Attend: Now 1-2

Opening Night at the Safe

April 8, 2011


Well, what a disaster. In the end, we lost 12-3... gave up 10 runs to the Indians in the 4th. This was our 5th loss in a row after opening up the season 2-0.

Safeco has a few new things, I didn't get too good a look at The Pen (renovated Bullpen Market) because we ate at Uwajimaya and didn't get into the stadium until 6:25. The pregame hoopla/ceremony was supposed to start at 6:30 and I wanted to get to my new seats. I had chicken pho, by the way. Last year the first 8 times I ate pho before the game we won, so I was trying to do my best as a fan.

The Pen was PACKED. I did get a glimpse of the new fireplace/lounge area but was trying to weave in and out of the crowd. Anyway, got to my new seats. I had moved down three rows to try and get closer to the action (and closer to other season ticket holders). My hopes were also to be able to sell tickets by being closer to the field, that hasn't really worked out yet. I haven't sold any tickets on stubhub so far.

The pregame ceremony was disappointing. We had the usual red carpet entrance and player introductions. Then King Felix got his Cy Young, and Ichiro got another Gold Glove... along with an absent Guti who is still down in Arizona with stomach issues.




Then we were supposed to have a touching tribute to Dave Niehaus. I love that man, I grew up on him. I fell asleep to his voice when I was a child... and was devastated by his loss. I went down for the informal Open House after he passed, as well as the formal memorial service. Those were very touching and emotional days for all of us... and I was expecting the same on Opening Night. The Mariners had 5 months to plan for a special ceremony, and instead that had a local rapper perform a song... which frankly was lame. They unveiled a permanent display above the broadcaster booth, and his widow Marilyn threw out the first pitch to Felix (surrounded by her family). I was very disappointed, they really missed the mark. Niehaus deserved much more than that. They also showed a clip of the unveiling of the renaming of 1st Ave S to Dave Niehaus Way. I wish I could have been there to see that. Usually I like to be there for the countdown on Opening Day, but wasn't able to make it this year.




I don't have much more to say on the game... we were blown out and it was the worst opener in Mariners history. Vargas just didn't have it.

Oh, Mom almost had her head taken off by a foul. Instead it took out a guy's cellphone and bounced over to the next aisle. She had just finished telling me that day that she no longer wanted the foul ball she caught a few years ago (it landed in her lap) off the bat of Marco Scutaro.

Grounds crew came out with a new dance... one of my pet peeves but I'm always interested in their new routines.

0-1 When I attend, it was sold out.