Inside T-Mobile Park: Pre-game energy builds for historic ALCS showdown

As the Seattle Mariners prepare to host its first American League Championship Series (ALCS) game in 24 years v. the Toronto Blue Jays, KIRO Newsradio went to T-Mobile Park hours before the impending chaos ensues.

As the stage gets set, KIRO Newsradio has an inside look from the Mariners’ dugout ahead of Game 3.

Good to be back LIVE this AM on @KIRONewsradio inside #TMobilePark for #Game3 of the #ALCS #Seattle #Mariners vs the #Toronto #Bluejays #SeizeTheMoment pic.twitter.com/8dMho0iQPk

— Luke Duecy (@LukeKIRO) October 15, 2025

The Mariners take on the Blue Jays today at T-Mobile Park, with the first pitch of Game 3 slated for 5:08 p.m. Tune in to Seattle Sports 710 for pre-game and live coverage.

Seattle and Toronto fan reactions

As the series makes its way back into Mariners territory, Duecy found a few diehard fans from both sides of the diamond to give their thoughts on the series so far and what’s to come.

“This is really, really big, especially for the fanbase,” a Mariners fan told KIRO reporter Luke Duecy. “I feel like our fanbase is stronger than ever.”

“I actually had a World Series ticket years ago when they almost made it,” another Mariners fan said.

When asked if he is planning to attend the game if the Mariners can appear in its first World Series in franchise history, the fan said, “Absolutely, I wouldn’t miss it.”

Duecy gathered some comments from emotionally drained Blue Jays fans gearing up for the game in Seattle.

“I think [the Blue Jays] have a chance, but if there’s one team to beat us, it’s the Mariners,” one Blue Jays fan shared. “You never know, that’s why they play a seven-game series.”

Following a 15-inning Game 5 victory over the Detroit Tigers, the Mariners stormed into Toronto on short rest to snatch a 3-1 win from the Blue Jays in Game 1, in what many viewed as an easy win for the Jays.

The Mariners kept the good vibes rolling in Game 2 of the ALCS, drubbing the Blue Jays 10-3 on Monday. A quick travel day brought the Mariners back home to T-Mobile Park for three straight games from Wednesday through Friday.

Seattle’s faithful baseball fan base has prepared for tonight’s matchup for more than two decades, as the Mariners push to make its deepest run into the playoffs in franchise history.

What makes Blue Jays fans so passionate — especially in Seattle

CTV Toronto reporter Raheem Ladhani was at T-Mobile Park Wednesday morning, taking in the sights alongside Seattle media and Mariners fans.

“The thing about the Jays is it’s Canada’s team,” Ladhani told KIRO. “A lot of people feel that they have a whole nation of people behind them, so we need to show up, we need to support the team. Not every province in Canada has a baseball team, we’re the only ones.

“We love our Blue Jays fans, and we’re starved in Toronto for a good sports team,” Ladhani continued. “We’ve had the Toronto Maple Leafs and they disappoint us every year, and the Toronto Raptors’ championship seems like eons ago, so people love their baseball, and you’re going to see a lot of blue and white in the stands tonight.”

When asked why Blue Jays fans are so annoying, Ladhani replied, “The question is, if the Jays win tonight, does the annoyance level just rise significantly?”

Baseball’s passionate hot dog enthusiasts

Hot dogs and their condiments have been at the forefront of conversations throughout the MLB postseason. While the Mariners battled with the Tigers in the Divisional Series, it was revealed that an overwhelming majority of Tiger fans solely use ketchup on their hot dogs.

“Always ketchup,” one Tigers fan in Seattle said. “Hot dogs are good with ketchup.”

Duecy questioned whether a Seattle dog — a hot dog with cream cheese and onions — would ever be accepted in Detroit.

“No one would put cream cheese or onions on a hot dog,” the fan countered. “Not in Detroit.”

For Toronto, Loonie Dogs Night has been a staple for the Blue Jays “Loonie Dog Kings,” as the team offers $1 hot dogs every Tuesday home game throughout the season. The “Loonie Dog Kings” show up to the park every Tuesday dressed in hot dog suits and eat as many Loonie Dogs as they can, while tallying each one.

You ever heard of a Loonie Dog? It’s a #Toronto #BlueJays thing and it’s kinda weirding me out… I’ll explain bottom of the hour on @KIRONewsradio #LoonieDog #LoonieDogKings #Mariners #ALCS #MLB #SeizeTheMoment pic.twitter.com/Kvpi7m0m1e

— Luke Duecy (@LukeKIRO) October 15, 2025

“We had 30 hot dogs during our first time doing this, and it really is a community,” a Loonie Dog Kings member said. “We have other guys and girls that joined us, too.”

In 2024, a record 727,819 Loonie Dogs were purchased throughout the season. During the 2025 season, more than 826,000 Loonie Dogs were purchased by Blue Jays fans.

Mariners fan traces trident into the sky

One Mariners superfan has expressed his love for the team in a unique way, by flying his plane above downtown Seattle and tracing the Mariners’ trident in the sky.

Jeremy Bellwood, a longtime season ticketholder and pilot for 13 years, used Google Earth to map out his route to create a Mariners trident above Seattle.

Bellwood built the plane himself back in 2017, and used his creation to support his fandom by tracing a trident into the sky with the center of the trident directly above T-Mobile Park.

AI predicts the ALCS results

Ahead of Game 3 of the ALCS, Duecy asked various AI computer models what they believe the results of the series will be.

ChatGPT revealed there was a high probability that the Mariners would score four runs, and the Blue Jays would score three, handing the Mariners a three-game lead in the series.

According to Microsoft’s Copilot, it also predicted a Mariners win, by a score of 5-4.

Fox Sports also forecasted a Game 3 win in the Mariners’ future, predicting the Mariners would lock down a 3-0 lead with a 5-4 win on Wednesday.

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