Fans jumping back on bandwagon as Mariners continue winning ways
Jun 9, 2014, 3:47 PM | Updated: Jun 10, 2014, 11:22 am
That buzzing you hear coming from SoDo is the sound of fans jumping back on the bandwagon, as the Mariners continue their winning ways.
Seattle blanked the Tampa Bay Rays 3-0 Monday to wrap up a 6-1 road trip and move to 34-29 on the season.
If the season ended today, the M’s would make the playoffs for the first time since they won an MLB record-tying 116 games in 2001.
It’s still very early, but considering the mediocrity that’s pervaded for over a decade, the building excitement is understandable.
“We’re ahead of last season by about 70,000 tickets and we’re also ahead of where we expected to be this season, so any way you look at it we’re having a very good fan turnout,” says Rebecca Hale, Mariners Director of Public Information.
The Mariners have sold 654,430 tickets for the first 29 home games this season, averaging 22,566 fans per game. It’s a far cry from a season of sellouts in 2002 that saw Seattle lead the majors in attendance, drawing 3,540,482 fans for an average 43,709 per game.
Still, the M’s had crowds of 29,000, 37,142, and 31,407 for their last three home games against Detroit, May 30-June 1. And hopes are high things have finally turned around.
“There’s a lot of pent up interest in the team, fans have started to respond. If the team keeps playing well, we certainly do expect for the warm weather to bring out a lot more people,” says Hale.
The timing to build buzz at the ballpark couldn’t be better. The storied New York Yankees make their only Safeco Field appearance this week. The series will be future Hall-of-Famer Derek Jeter’s last appearance in Seattle.
Thursday also features Macklemore bobblehead night, which should also bring a larger than usual weeknight crowd to Safeco Field.
“We’re expecting close to the same attendance for the series as last year, except that was a weekend, so there’s plenty of excitement,” Hale says.
With the division rival Texas Rangers coming to town for the Father’s Day weekend, strong attendance is expected throughout the homestand.
It’s only June and anything could happen, but considering the Mariners have been irrelevant in many people’s eyes by the start of summer for years, it’s understandable why so many are rushing to jump back on the bandwagon.
