Safeco Field, A Delightful Surprise

Tonight I visited my first stadium on my journey to see a baseball game in every Major League stadium. My dad and I were at Safeco Field in Seattle to watch the home town Mariners play the San Diego Padres.

View of the Seattle skyline from our seats! 

walking around the stadium before the game Safeco looked like an average stadium but nothing really that special. As I entered the center field gates at 4:40pm to see batting practice I could feel the energy even though there weren't that many people. I quickly walked toward left field as this is usually one of the better bets for home run souvenirs. I quickly saw the view from the center field walkway and it was splendid. However I was on a mission. I kept walking very briskly to get prime ball hunting real estate but also not make a fool of myself by running. Then I got to The Bull Pen, a very unique and awesome place at Safeco. The Bull Pen is where pitchers warm up before entering the game and the one in Seattle is EXTREMELY close to the players. There is a half wall that is open and a little bar to lean on and that is it. You are literally right there next to the players as they throw. I could reach out and touch a player who was on the mound closest to the bar area if I really tried and then get promptly kicked out of the park. Oh and the field is right beyond that so you are super close to all the action. This was so cool! I loved it.

The Bull Pen

Felix Hernandez was pitching who is one of the better pitchers in the American League (although he is struggling right now). It was so cool to be so close to him while he was warming up for the game. It was awe-inspiring. As soon as he was done warming up my dad and I moved down 20 feet and watched Clayton Richard warm up, the pitcher for the Padres. This was equally stunning to be so close and to really see how hard they threw.

King Felix warming up before the game!

The Real Surprise

We got to the ballpark at 4:40 which for a 7:10 pm game is quite early. I wanted to explore the ballpark but the real reason is because I wanted to attend batting practice. It is really fun to attend batting practice and see the players warm up and get ready for the game. Usually there are many home run balls hit in batting practice that become great. This evening the air was quite thick and filled with moisture from the ocean and the ball was not caring well. There were only a handful of guys that hit home runs in batting practice. There were a few ball hit really close to me by the mariners players and one that I was trying to chase down and got slightly scolded by a Safeco employee to be careful, that is "only a ball." Yes true it is and I have 100+ baseballs, but this one is special. But toward the end of the Mariners batting practice I was getting anxious to actually go into the seats to get one. The sound system announced that the other gates had opened and I was starting to leave the bull pen area. Then on the last swing of mariners batting practice I heard a "crack" and I glanced as I always do when I hear that familiar and lovely sound and saw a ball traveling my way with home run distance. It was headed right for me. It bounced in the bullpen at the perfect angle and speed for me to catch it easily on one hop. I reached out to grab it knowing I would finally have a major league ball! Then it stopped. It bounced just high enough to hit a net that was guarding a video board. I was not pleased. I was so close and there the ball lay in the bullpen. So close yet so far away. then one of the players from the Padres, Anthony Bass, came over to pick the ball up and I said "can I please have that ball?" and he politely gave it to me. 

I got it! I was so excited. I had always wanted a Major League ball!

My ball!

The game was a good one. The Padres won 5-4 although the Mariners made a furious comeback in the late innings. Our seats were in the third deck on the first base side with a beautiful view of the Seattle skyline and the space needle in the distance.