Game #23--T-Mobile Park- Seattle Mariners vs. Miami Marlins

After a week of family fun in Colorado, Jackson Hole and Yellowstone we are back on the road to Our Field of Dreams 2023 Tour. We really enjoyed our time with our kids Steven, Brittany, Chris and Kayla along with our grandloves Makenna, Ella, Maddox and Bennett, but now it is back to pounding the pavement in our RV with a first stop in Seattle. We arrived in Seattle after a very long drive through three states on Tuesday, June 13th. Jim is the pilot and I am merely the co-pilot in charge of navigation. After a much needed rest, we were ready to put our game faces on for the Wednesday evening Mariners game on June 14th. We decided to get some walking in before the game so we journeyed down to Pike Place Market. We enjoyed the market which was full of a variety of food, flowers and shopping. We found a cute little restaurant just a few blocks from the market and had some delicious seafood. We had oysters, clam chowder, calamari, shrimp and cod. Thank goodness we split a plate because it was so much food. After our bellies were stuffed we decided it was best for us to walk to the stadium in order to burn off some of our lunch calories. We had a nice walk to the stadium stopping at a few places along the way. One of our stops was to The Tasting Room, which serves local Washington wines. I mean when you are in Washington aren't you supposed to take in all commodities they are known for? Our host Ellen was extremely helpful and knowledgable about the local wines. We did a tasting of some very good wines she selected based upon what we told her were our likes. She hit it spot on! Now back to the street to walk off the food and WINE! We arrived at the stadium way too early but it worked out just fine as our great friends Jim and Kathy Cook from San Clemente were meeting us for the game. We met outside the Home Plate entrance where the statues of Ken Griffey, Jr. and Edgar Martinez are located. We found out the Center Field gate opened first which is two hours prior to the first pitch. We lined up at the gate and soon we were entering with only a minimal amount of effort through security....that hot dog hat gets us every time! It was promotional night for the Mariners in honor of National Cancer Survivors Month they gave away t-shirts for Life Beyond Cancer. This was very meaningful to us as Jim's sister, Cyndi is currently in a battle with breast cancer. Once inside we were only allowed to stay in "The Pen" area until all gates opened 90-minutes prior to game time. We enjoyed watching batting practice from "The Pen" area and had hoped to catch a fly ball but some people just don't know how to take turns and share the fence. The bullpens are right in that area hence the name "The Pen." We watched pitchers warm up, and all I can say is I would run if a pitch came at me like that. Amazingly talented individuals! After they opened the rest of the park, our friends Jim and Kathy walked with us around the various parts of the stadium to take it all in. We journeyed up to the Trident Deck which is positioned above the left field foul pole. It is like a modern rooftop bar with the feel of a cozy backyard. The view from the Trident Deck is breathtakingly beautiful in all directions. We decided to stay a little longer and order a drink and just take it all in. Of course Jim was stopping anyone who looked official along the way to ask for hot dog/sausage recommendations. Several people recommended the Mariners Dog, which is actually a sausage with grilled peppers and onions. We went to the location of the hot dog/sausage recommendation and happened upon the Mariners Hall of Fame. The Mariners Hall of Fame is small due to their short history, beginning in 1977 as an expansion team. There were some interesting artifacts and nine bronze plaques honoring the inducted members. Inductees include Alvin Davis, Dave Niehaus, Jay Buhner, Edgar Martínez, Randy Johnson, Dan Wilson, Lou Piniella, Ken Griffey Jr., Jamie Moyer and Ichiro Suzuki. See our Instagram for photos @ourfieldofdreams2023. The Mariners only have two players that have had their numbers retired even though they have nine inducted members in the Mariners Hall of Fame. Ken Griffey, Jr. and Edgar Martinez are the only two to have their numbers retired. The Mariners set the bar high to make it an ultimate honor to have your number retired. Their criteria set by the Mariners' Board of Directors for retiring a number is the player must be elected to the National Hall of Fame and played at least five years for the Mariners, or come close to being elected to the National Hall of Fame and have spent a substantial portion of their career with the Mariners. As with all MLB Teams, Jackie Robinson's number 42 is also retired. Next up food and boy do the Mariners have options. I appreciated the signs posted around the stadium listing food options and locations. This is the first stadium that I have found that has this signage. Jim got his recommended hot dog/sausage and our friends Jim and Kathy and myself opted for a Poke Bowl. Great choices! Since I am a good sport and I know Jim must be getting tired of hot dogs I shared my Poke Bowl with him. Jim decided to do his hot dog review in the stadium area where we purchased the hot dog as our seats were on a different level and nothing is worse that a cold hot dog. He gave the Mariners Dog a 8.0. I gave my Poke Bowl a 10! Next we found our seats on the Club Level first base side of the field. We had a beautiful view of the skyline from our seats and a spectacular view of the sky as the sun set. Before the game began the National Anthem was sung by a cute children's choir. I always love to see children being highlighted, I guess that is the educator in me. Next up was the first pitch. It was thrown out by Chris Laneeuville a cancer survivor who just celebrate 21 years as a survivor of cancer. All throughout the stadium cancer survivors held up signs with the number of years they have been a cancer survivor. It was a very nice way to honor those who have won the battle of this terrible disease. First pitch left the mound at 6:40 with a crowd of 20,498 in attendance in a stadium that has a 47,929 capacity. Not too bad for a Wednesday evening. The Mariners came into the game with two wins in this series against the Marlins and were hoping for a sweep. Well the Marlins rookie pitcher Eury Perez had a different plan for those brooms. Perez pitched into the 6th inning holding the Marlins to two hits, struck out six and walked only one. It was a pitchers battle with the first score hitting the board in the top of the 3rd inning. Jonathan Davis hit a single followed by a walk by Jorge Soler, then a force out when Bryan De La Cruz grounded into second base. A wild pitch by Mariners Luis Castillo would bring in Davis to score. Score Marlins 1 - Mariners 0. The next two innings would be successful for both pitchers with no score. The innings were flying by as it was mostly 3 up and 3 down. Then in the top of the 6th inning the Marlins first at bat, Jorge Soler hit a four-banger. Score Marlins 2 - Mariners 0. After Mariners pitcher Luis Castillo walked Garrett Cooper and Jean Segura the manager pulled out the hook. Matt Brash came in and got the job done to get out of the inning. The rookie Eury Perez would continue to show his muscle at the plate in the bottom of the 6th and keep the Mariners off the board. In the top of the 7th inning with Brash still on the bump, Jon Berti hit a single and Luis Arraez was hit by a pitch. After seeing the pitchers warm up so close and personal, all I could say was OUCH! The walk back to the dugout for Brash brought in Andres Munoz who was able to get the job done. In the top of the 7th inning the rookie Perez was replaced by Dylan Floro who got the memo as it was three up and three down. The Marlins brought in Justin Topa in the 8th inning to replace Andres Munoz. It was a tough out for Topa as the Marlins first batter, Jesus Sanchez hit a line drive single. Next up Jean Sequra who also hit a single putting runners on first and second bases. Nick Fortes had a hard hit double to right field bringing home Sanchez. Score Marlins 3 - Mariners 0. Jon Berti would strike out making in one out with runners at second and third. Next up Jonathan Davis who hit a sacrifice fly scoring Segura. Topa would get the final out with a ground out by Luis Arraez. The damage could have been worse but the Mariners kept their defense in check. Score Marlins 4 - Mariners 0. The bottom of the 8th the energy for the Mariners grew strong in the stands and on the field. The Marlins brought in Tanner Scott to face the Mariners still focused on a sweep. First to the plate was Cal Raleigh who hit a single to pitcher Tanner Scott who made a throwing error advancing Raleigh to second base. Then the Mariners brought in their secret weapon, AJ Pollock (former Dodger) the DH. You could hear the crowd get excited but unfortunately Pollock would strike out swinging. Next up Jose Caballero would pop out and then J.P. Crawford would ground out. Score Marlins 4 - Mariners 0. A few fans started to depart the stadium BUT NOT THESE FANS! Oh no, we don't leave early and there is no crying in baseball! It was a great thing many fans stayed because the BEST inning of the game was the 9th inning. The top of the 9th the Mariners brought in Paul Sewald to close it out and he and the Mariners defense did a fantastic job. Although it started with a walk by Jorge Soler (that's okay he hit a homer in the 6th) the next batter Bryan De La Cruz would strike out swinging. The Mariners defense would put an exclamation point on the inning when Garrett Cooper grounded into a double play. Great work by second baseman Jose Caballero to first baseman Ty France. The crowd was pumped up for the bottom of the 9th inning. Rally caps were in place and the fans were screaming. We had some young boys sitting near us that were shouting wildly while sporting their rally caps. It was so cute! Then the unthinkable happened.....we looked on the big screen to see a man dressed in a hot dog suit dancing. They call him "RALLY FRANK." We laughed so hard our sides hurt. Well that little dance and the fan spirit brought out the most amazing inning of the night. Marlins brought in A. J. Puk to pitch. First to the plate was Julio Rodriguez who flied out to center. Ty France would start the rally off with a single. Teoscar Hernandez would reach on a fielder's choice and France would reach second on a fielding error by second baseman Luis Arraez. With runners on first and second, Jarred Kelenic would reach on a fielder's choice and the out called at second base was overturned. BASES LOADED, thanks to two errors made by Arraez. Eugenio Suarez came to the plate and we were all praying for a GRAND SLAM to tie the game. Suarez connected with a ball and sent it sailing high in the air to right field. It looked like it was going to be long gone. The crowd was going wild, us included! That was when Marlins right fielder Jesus Sanchez did a leaping catch OVER the wall to bring the ball back into the park and in his glove. Sanchez literally stole the grand slam from Eugenio Suarez and saved the game for the Marlins. Ty France would score making it Marlins 4 - Mariners 1 with two outs. Cal Raleigh would line out sharply to right field ending the game and one heck of an exciting 9th inning. Final score Marlins 4 - Mariners 1. That makes Our Field of Dreams record 10 wins for the home team and 13 losses for the home team. Next up we are traveling back to California, specifically the bay area, to see the Oakland A's play the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday afternoon and the San Francisco Giants play the San Diego Padres on Monday night. Until next time, PLAY BALL and Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there!