What you may not have known about Safeco Field

There’s nothing quite like Opening Day at Safeco Field – Mariners fans soak in the promise of a potentially bright future.

Here are some facts you may not have known about Safeco Field:

Seating capacity: 47,116
The name: Safeco Field naming rights was made by Safeco, a Seattle-based insurance and investments company founded in 1923.
Lighting: Safeco Field will be the first Major League stadium to light up its field with LED fixtures – 578 GigaTera SUFA LED fixtures.
The field: 106,000 square feet of turf – 4 types of Kentucky bluegrass strains and 2 types of perennial rye grass strains. 600 tons of infield clay and 20 to 30 miles of grass heating coils.
Grass warmer: A spider web of one-inch plastic hose circulates hot water under the grass to bring it out of dormancy in time for Opening Day, and also compensate for shade and low levels of direct sunlight.
The bones: 200 miles of concrete, 150 miles of electrical wiring, and 40 miles of piping.
The roof: The roof covers almost nine acres, weighs 22 million pounds, and contains enough steel to build a skyscraper 55 stories tall.
Closing/opening the roof: Depending on the weather, the roof opens or closes in an average of 10-20 minutes at the push of a button.
Lightning and snow on the roof: The roof is self-grounded (in case of lightning strikes) and will withstand 6-7 feet of snow and sustained winds of up to 70 mph.
To open the roof?: The roof may be opened only once during a game and shall commence only between innings after the umpire crew chief has been notified.
The scoreboard: The new HD LED screen is the largest in the league and one of the largest in professional sports. It measures 11,425 square feet.
Fan Walk: There are more than 12,500 bricks in the ‘Fan Walk,’ located in The Pen. The bricks are inscribed with the names and sentiments of M’s fans. A brick locator is near the “Good Stuff” shop.

Fan Amenities:
Autographs: Guests can get autographs from the time the main gates open (2 hours prior to game time) until the end of batting practice (45 minutes prior to game time).
Charging Stations: There are five charging stations for fans throughout the ballpark: Sections 123, 133, 224, 329,and The Pen.
FanGrams: Fans can purchase a Mariners FanGram for birthdays, wedding proposals, etc. for $100. They will run at the end of the sixth inning.
Foul balls: Fans are encouraged to keep any balls that are hit into the stands.
King’s Court: Tickets are available in the King’s Court for every Felix Hernandez home start and includes King’s Court T-shirt and ‘K’ card.
Noisemakers: Noisemakers of any type (e.g., air horns, cow bells, etc.) are prohibited.
For the kids: Seattle Children’s Hospital Playfield has a playground, concessions, and a store. There are TVs so parents won’t miss any of the game. Located in Center Field on the Main Level.
Your event at Safeco: You can host your own event at Safeco Field when the team is on the road or during the offseason.

Opening Day:

The Opening Day game against the Los Angeles Angels starts at 1:10 p.m.

It’s the first time since 2008 that the Mariners have opened the season at home with a day game. Gates open at 10:40 a.m. Former second baseman Joey Cora will throw out the first pitch.

You can hear the game and pregame on 710 ESPN Seattle.