Mariners Analysis: It Is Time to Fill Safeco Field

The Mariners are one of the most exciting teams in baseball, and the people of Seattle need to get behind their team.

The Mariners are off to their best start since 2003 when they won 93 games. I am not yet ready to compare them to the sacred team of 2001, but as the song “For What It Is Worth” goes, “There’s Something Happening Here…”

It is time, Mariners fans and the people of the Pacific Northwest. It is time to get behind this team and show up in large numbers at Safeco Field. This team is for real. Barring a devastating injury or two, this team will be in contention all summer. Take that to the bank. Do you need any more proof than Tuesday night’s walk-off, comeback win?

The average attendance at Safeco Field this season is 26,190. That is 19th out of 30 MLB teams. That is not good enough for a team 10 games over .500 and in first place in the American League West. There are last place teams with higher attendance (San Diego and Houston).

More from Mariners News

• 2023 Steamer Projections: Teoscar Hernandez could see a drop in Seattle
• Steamer Projections: Julio Rodriguez to enter rarified air in 2023
• What if the Mariners traded FOR Tyler O’Neill this time?
• Mariners starting pitching is being overlooked by MLB
• Baking the Cake: An Adjusted Mariners Offseason Plan

Yes, the Mariners have not been playing well at home. There is evidence the team is  figuring that out. Things will even out. This team is built to play at a park such as Safeco. They are faster, more athletic and smarter at the plate. This team is fun to watch. Instead of turning off the TV, knowing they will snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, you ask yourself “how are they going to win tonight?” It could be a Leonys Martin walk-off. It could be a clutch pinch-hit by Dae-Ho Lee. Or maybe a dominant performance by Felix Hernandez? Or perhaps the bullpen pitches five scoreless innings? Nelson Cruz is due for a home run binge. The 2016 Seattle Mariners are not one-trick ponies.

They are 4th in the league in run differential at +54. That is usually a sign of sustainable success (see #1 Cubs with +118 and last year’s champs, the Royals at +102). That number is increasing constantly.

More from SoDo Mojo

• 2023 Steamer Projections: Teoscar Hernandez could see a drop in Seattle
• Could the Mariners Acquire AL Batting Champion, Luis Arraez?
• Steamer Projections: Julio Rodriguez to enter rarified air in 2023
• What if the Mariners traded FOR Tyler O’Neill this time?
• Mariners starting pitching is being overlooked by MLB

We have run out of excuses, Mariners fans. It is time to pay the price of admission because this show is worth the dough. The M’s have 12 home games in their next 17 contests. There are fun giveaway nights and it is pathetic if we cannot get at least 25,000 on a weekday Felix Hernandez start.

Schools are starting to get out for the summer. What better way to spend time as a family or go out for a fun night with friends or a date than at Safeco Field? There is something for everyone there. Don’t believe me? Check out all the perks of the Sodo ballpark. Don’t want to fight Seattle traffic? There are plenty of ways to get to the park without parking in the shadow of the building and paying through the nose.

Next: Nick Neidert and Andrew Moore Climbing Up the M’s Farm System

It’s time to make this place electric. Let’s bring the “12th Man” to Safeco and make it the “10th Man” for the summer. Our Mariners deserve it!