Offered Mariners tickets an hour before game time?
Yes. Hell yes.
This game took place 05/25/23. I’ve been dealing with post exertional malaise recently from too much exercise, so this is why this post is so late. AND, Diablo 4 launched this week. It’s amazing. It’s been a long time since a game or any one thing has captured me like this has.
I digress. On to the Mariners game I went to for free…
It’s been a while since the previous Mariners game I went to. Which was Game 3 of the 2022 ALDS. Which was a Long, long pitcher’s duel for the ages. I wrote then: (The game was 6 hours and 22 minutes. 18 innings long!) While that was a marathon and a game in which the packed house was on its toe for every pitch, and it took place on an unusually hot October day with the region blanketed by forest fire smoke… It was exhausting.
The stakes couldn’t be different. This is a May baseball game. Baseball is a marathon sport. The season goes from April to the first week of October. While a win would be nice, it’s not do or die, especially against the lowly Oakland A’s, who are already in the running for the worst record in Major League Baseball. Nobody is expecting them to compete this year. The Mariners are expected to compete for a playoff spot this season.
While their record on 06/01/23 is 29 wins and 27 losses, last Thursday, it was 25 wins and 24 losses. (Not much has changed.) Which is 4th place in a surprisingly competitive AL West division. It’s not a great record, but it’s a long season. 162 games, to be precise. All it takes is a hot streak in August or September and your team will be in the playoff race.
The Mariner’s opponent was the division rival Oakland A’s. They have a record of 10 wins and 41 losses.
I would estimate the attendance to be about a third full of capacity.
It’s nice to go to an enjoyable event and be there for the sake of it.
Why go tonight for a game?
It’s Bark at the Park night.
Or, bring your dog to the ballpark night. It’s a regular game with some dog themed video additions. Occasionally I’d hear someone’s dog bark through the game.
But first, let’s review who the Seattle Mariners are in 2023. Coming into the season after last years first playoff appearance in 21 years, for the first time in decades, our overcast fanbase finally has a sunny outlook for the season. While every other Seattle team has had success, or peaks and valleys, even the previous NBA Seattle SuperSonics who left town and became Oklahoma City Thunder, last year the Mariners finally broke through.
As I said above, it’s a rough start to the season, but we have a long way to go and a .500 record is acceptable.
The game
My mom asks me about an hour before the game if I would be interested in going to the Mariners that game that night. She got an offer for a free ticket through her work. I pause and say yes. I’m not doing anything at home and looked like the lazy gamer guy from the World of Warcraft episode of South Park.
I didn’t do much that day because I’m unemployed and processing the grief from job loss. (I’m doing better today)
I glow up in my Mariners gear I bought last year and wait for the confirmation email to claim my ticket before I make my way to the light rail station, to catch the train to the stadium district downtown. Physically I wasn’t feeling great due to Chronic Fatigue, but I could make it if I drove and parked nearby the light rail stop.
At 6pm, I finally get the email for the ticket, and I’m off. I drive to my local regular gas station because I’m about out of gas. I get gas, a bottle of water because I forgot to bring mine, and mouthwash. I fill up, drive 3 minutes north, and am lucky to find a parking spot close by.
I catch the light rail right as it pulls up to the station. It’s about halfway full, about average for 610pm PST. After arriving at the station and walking a short distance to TMobile Park, I arrived after the game started. I’m hungry and craving pizza –I was going to order delivery before the ticket offer. I proceed to the pizza restaurant in The Pen. Behind both teams’ bullpens, where relief pitchers warm up before entering the game, is an area for fans to choose from several restaurants that serve ready-to-eat food depending on what you’d like to eat. I get two slices of pizza for $26. While the serving is fair and the quality superb, twenty-six for two slices is hella. But… I haven’t had dinner. Oh well, the ticket is free.
Thankfully, there’s a standing spot near the bullpens beside the pizza place. I walk over to the counter behind the opponent’s bullpen. I forgot to take a picture at the moment, but it has an amazing view. The bullpen is open air and you get a view from behind it to the field. I’m in no hurry, so I enjoy the pizza slowly as I watch. It’s the 2nd inning, and Oakland A’s are at bat.
Major League Baseball has changed in the past year. During the off-season, there were three big rule changes.
- A clock for batters and pitchers, like a shot clock in basketball, where pitchers must throw within a certain time, and batters must be in the batter’s box ready to hit. Pitchers that violate this are punished by the batter being rewarded with a ball, and batters are penalized by a Strike awarded to the pitcher. (4 balls in an at-bat equals a walk for the batter, which he “walks” to first base; being on base can mean he can eventually score. Three strikes is an Out for the defense or strikeout for the pitcher) If either tries to cheat the system, the umpire can determine whether to eject a player.
- A ban to The Shift, a defensive alignment which shifted more the infielders to the side the batter hits, to take away more base hits.
- Changes to base running, with larger bases, and limits on how many times a pitcher can throw to an occupied base.
An in-depth explanation is in the link below. In summary, this is the biggest change to the sport since the 1960s, when the pitching mound was lowered. All this was done to make games shorter, and make the base running game exciting.
https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-new-rules-for-2023-faq
Making the games shorter with more action was necessary because the average length of games for the past 20-plus years was three hours. That’s too long. With the old rules and the change of play during this time, it made watching games difficult because it was tedious with little action.
The game begins
As in eating, The A’s score with a two-run homerun. I watch as the ball sails to the left field corner as I lean over the counter to watch. Not a great start to this game, but it’s the top of the first inning. Plus, this is a terrible Oakland A’s, one of the worst in the league. The next batter grounds out to end the top of the 1st inning. Mariners to bat.
Crawford flies out on the second pitch. Ty France is to hit. He smashes the first pitch for a home run in almost the same place in left field as the previous inning. Athletics 2, Mariners 1.
The next batter, 2023 AL rookie of the year Julio Rodriguez gets a single, but the next batter grounds into a double play ending the inning.
I’m done eating and decide to find my seat. It’s in section 142, ground level on the third base side. Nineteen rows between the seat and the field. These are nice seats. I’ve never had seats this close or this section before.
As you can see, it’s a spread-out crowd with many open seats. Great view, though. What’s unique in this area is the Skycam camera above us which is on a wire that covers half of the bottom part of the stands. It moved along every time something happened in the game, such as a fly ball or base hit.
Before you know it, it’s already the 6th inning and the game is flying by.
In steps Ty France to bat. He takes the first pitch for ball one. The second pitch, he fouls for strike 1. 1-1 count. Pitch 3?
HOMERUN! AGAIN! This Instagram post from the Mariners shows both, with a silly picture. TIE TY Game! A’s 2, Mariners 2!
Coming into the game, I was expecting to be sitting with a group of people from Mom’s work. But it was only me and two guys at the other end of my row and nobody nearby. It was nice to sit by myself.
The 6th inning resumes as Ty France heads to the dugout to celebrate. The rest of the inning fizzles out as the next three hitters pop out, pop out, and strike out looking.
7th inning. I decide to get something sweet to nosh on and skip the seventh-inning stretch.
Ice cream calls to me. Perfect for a warm night. I found some at a newfangled Amazon store in the stadium. You swipe your card, pick the items you want, and leave. While I’m concerned about the future, this implies without cashiers and more money going to rich people, it was convenient. One cup two-thirds of a cup of ice cream? $8+ with sales tax. At least, it seems to be from a local company. I choose vanilla.
There’s this thing that happens at every Mariners game I go to. I notice all the attractive ladies but feel insecure because many are taken, or I don’t feel confident to approve of them. It makes me feel lonely and frustrated that I’m still single, afraid of approaching women, and fear rejection. I’ve gotten better about these things, but it’s a chip on my shoulder because having a fulfilling romantic relationship has been a long-time goal. Then I remember all my problems as seen from an outside view and move on.
I walk back to my seat and open the ice cream. It’s melted and separated. I consider taking a picture and getting a refund, but let it go. I stir vigorously with a plastic spoon, and it becomes like a milkshake. Tasty, but not ice cream. The 7th inning passes with neither team scoring. Starting pitcher Logan Gilbert is rolling along after a rough beginning of the game. Gilbert mows through the top of the 8th inning, likely done after a gem of a game.
Bottom of the 8th. The Mariners quickly load the bases. Eugenio Suarez to hit. Three pitches, three balls. Not even close. Suarez takes a called strike down the middle. The next pitch. Misses upper left in the strike zone for ball 4. The Mariners take the lead, 3 to 2. Two outs. The next batter, Cal Raleigh, flies out to end things.
Top of the 9th. With twelve pitches, Mariners pitcher Pat Sewald gets the Save by striking out two and getting the last batter of the game to fly out on two pitches.
We won! 3-2. Plus, the game was only 2 hours, 1 minute. This is a refreshing change to last time when the game was _ hours. It took me longer to write this post than the time I was at the ballgame!
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