Left Field – 331 ft (101 m) Left-Center – 378 ft (115 m) Center Field – 401 ft (122 m) Right-Center – 381 ft (116 m) Right Field – 326 ft (99 m) Backstop – 69 ft (21 m)
During the 1990s, the suitability of the Mariners' original stadium—the
Kingdome—as an MLB facility came under question, and the team's ownership group threatened to relocate the team. In September 1995,
King County voters defeated a ballot measure to secure public funding for a new baseball stadium. Shortly thereafter, the
Mariners' first appearance in the MLB postseason and their victory in the
1995 American League Division Series (ALDS) revived public desire to keep the team in Seattle. As a result, the
Washington State Legislature approved an alternate means of funding for the stadium with public money. The site, just south of the
Kingdome, was selected in September 1996 and construction began in March 1997. The bonds issued to finance Safeco Field were retired on October 1, 2011, five years earlier than anticipated.[6]
The stadium was originally named Safeco Field under a 20-year naming-rights deal with Seattle-based
Safeco Insurance.
T-Mobile acquired the naming rights on December 19, 2018, and the name change took effect on January 1, 2019.[7][8][9][10]
On March 30, 1994,
county executiveGary Locke appointed a task force to assess the need for a new baseball stadium to replace the rapidly deteriorating
Kingdome. Many feared that the Mariners would leave Seattle if a new stadium was not built. In January 1995, the 28-member task force recommended to the King County Council that the public should be involved in financing the stadium. The task force concluded that a sales tax increase of 0.1% (to 8.3%) would be sufficient to fund the stadium. King County held a special election on September 19, asking the public for this sales tax increase;[13] the measure led early,[14][15] but was narrowly defeated by one-fifth of one percent.[16][17][18]
On October 14, a special session of the state legislature authorized a different funding package for a new stadium that included a food and beverage tax in King County restaurants and bars, car rental surcharge in King County, a ballpark admissions tax, a credit against the state sales tax, and sale of a special stadium license plate.[18] Nine days later, the King County Council approved the funding package,[19] and established the Washington State Major League Baseball Stadium Public Facilities District to own the ballpark and oversee design and construction.[20][21] Taxpayer suits opposing the legislative actions and the taxes failed in the courts.[22]
On September 9, 1996, the site was selected for the new stadium, just south of the Kingdome.[23] In late fall, several members of the King County Council wrote a letter to the Seattle Mariners, requesting a postponement of the projected $384.5-million stadium project.[24]
T-Mobile Park under construction in 1998. The
Kingdome is visible in the background.
Construction officially began in 1997, with a groundbreaking ceremony on March 8 featuring Mariners star
Ken Griffey Jr.[25] The construction, overseen by
chief financial officer (and former team president and minority owner)
Kevin Mather,[26] continued through the beginning of the
1999 season. Its first game was on Thursday, July 15,[27][28] immediately after the
All-Star break; the Mariners lost 3–2 to the
San Diego Padres with 44,607 in attendance.[29][30]
The
naming rights were sold in June 1998 to Seattle-based
Safeco Insurance, which paid $40 million for a 20-year deal.[31][32] The
2018 season was the last played under this name, and the Safeco signage was removed from the ballpark beginning that November.[33] The naming rights were awarded to T-Mobile on December 19, which paid $87.5 million for an agreement that will last 25 years,[8][34] and the name change officially took effect on January 1,
2019.[35]
Ken Griffey Jr. returned to Safeco Field in
2007 with the
Cincinnati Reds (where he had been traded after the 1999 season) to a hero's welcome.[36][37] In commemoration of Griffey's achievements with the team, the Mariners unveiled a new poster that declared Safeco Field "The House That Griffey Built."[38]
The Mariners moved the fences at Safeco Field closer to home plate before the
2013 season "to create an environment that is fair for both hitters and pitchers," according to General Manager
Jack Zduriencik.[39] Safeco Field had been considered one of the most pitcher-friendly ballparks in the majors since it opened.[40][41] The center field scoreboard and ad panels were replaced with an 11,435 square foot (1,062.3 m2) board during renovations, becoming the largest among all stadium scoreboards in the major leagues at the time.[42][43]
After the
2017 season, the field surface, in place since the stadium opened in 1999, underwent its first full replacement. The infield and foul territory were redone in
2012, but the outfield had not been replaced before the resodding.[44]
There previously was technology that allowed spectators to monitor special game-time features with
Nintendo DS receivers.[45]
Layout
There are five main levels to the stadium: Field (or Street), Main Concourse (100 level – 20,634 seats[46]), Club Level (200 level – 4,585 seats[46]), Suite Level (1,945 seats[46]), and Upper Concourse (300 level – 15,955 seats[46]). Two bleacher sections are above left field and below the center field scoreboard, with 3,706 seats.[46] The Broadcast Center (press box) is on the Club Level and sub-level between it and the Main Level. As the field is approximately at street level, entry into any of the main gates requires visitors to ascend a flight of stairs, escalator, or elevator to access the main concourse, with the exception of the Right Field Entry, which opens onto the main concourse. Stairs, escalators, elevators, and ramps around the park provide access to all levels.[47]
T-Mobile Park has an extensive food and beverage selection above and beyond the traditional ballpark fare of hot dog, pizza, soda, and beer. Concession stands selling traditional ballpark fare are plentiful on the main and upper concourses. Food courts behind home plate on the main concourse, as well as in "The 'Pen" (known as the Bullpen Market until a major 2011 remodel) on the street level inside the Center Field gate, sell items such as
sushi,
burritos, teriyaki, stir-fries,
pad thai,
garlic fries,
crepes, health food, seafood, and barbecue. An extensive selection of beer can also be found in those locations, as well as on the upper concourse. Patrons could previously order food with a
Nintendo DS app called Nintendo Fan Network.[45]
Retractable roof
Retractable roof open, July 2008
In the open position, the roof rests over the
BNSF Railway tracks that bound the stadium to the east, with part of it hanging over the stands in right field. This has the effect of echoing the whistles from passing trains into the stadium. Train horns were often heard inside the stadium throughout the 2000s, but abated significantly when an overpass was built for Royal Brougham Way, the street that bounds the stadium to the north which previously crossed the tracks.[55]
On April 7, 2013, Total Pro Sports voted Safeco Field the 8th Best Place to Catch a Game in 2013, mainly owing to the design of the retractable roof.[56]
Scoreboards
T-Mobile Park features a manual
scoreboard, the second-largest
HD video display scoreboard in MLB, a color LED out-of-town scoreboard, and LED ribbon boards along the terraces.[57][58] The main scoreboard, which replaced the original monochrome scoreboard and separate video screen above the center field bleachers before the 2013 season, is more than 11,000 square feet (1,000 m2) in area. The board can be used either all at once, such as for live action or video replays, or split into sections for displaying information such as statistics and advertisements.[59]
Co-located with the Baseball Museum of the Pacific Northwest, the
Mariners Hall of Fame features bronze plaques of the nine inducted members: Alvin Davis (1997), Broadcaster Dave Niehaus (2000), Jay Buhner (2004), Edgar Martínez (2007), Randy Johnson (2012), Dan Wilson (2012), Ken Griffey Jr. (2013), Lou Pinella (2014), Jamie Moyer (2015), and Ichiro Suzuki (2022). The plaques describe their contributions to the franchise, as well as murals and television screens showing highlights of their careers with the Mariners.[60]
The 'Pen
The 'Pen, known for sponsorship purposes as "The T-Mobile 'Pen", is a
standing-room only area adjacent to the
bullpens, where spectators can watch
relief pitchers warm up before entering the game.
When the stadium opened during the
1999 season, the area was called the "Bullpen Market". In 2013, the Mariners' vice president of ballpark operations described the Bullpen Market as a dark and unwelcoming place that needed a remodel to be more attractive to fans.[61]
Prior to the
2011 season, the Mariners brought in three
celebrity chefs to introduce special
concession stands with exclusive food options.[62] In the first season under its new branding, per-capita fan spending in The 'Pen increased by 87% from the previous season. In 2013, Edgar's Cantina, named for Hall of Fame Mariners player
Edgar Martínez, opened. Sports Business Journal called The 'Pen "one of the liveliest social scenes in Major League Baseball" in 2013, when fan spending in The 'Pen had risen 42% year over year, which a team spokeswoman credited primarily to Edgar's Cantina.[61]
Local Mexican restaurant Poquitos opened a stand in The 'Pen during the
2017 season, and quickly gained national fame for selling
chapulines, toasted
grasshoppers, at every game.[63] Poquitos sold over 900 orders of chapulines at the first three home games, at $4.00 for a 4-US-fluid-ounce (120 ml) cup.[64][65]
In 2019, the Mariners opened The 'Pen two and a half hours before the first pitch of Mariners home games, offering
happy hour specials to encourage fans to arrive early. As many as 3,000 fans come to The 'Pen during each game.[66]
The 'Pen attracts large and often rowdy crowds due to its food and drink options.[67] On April 13, 2013, a man was injured and required reconstructive surgery after a fight broke out over a table in The 'Pen. Two men turned themselves in, one of whom faced a felony assault charge. A team spokesperson said that the Mariners assign more uniformed police officers, private security guards, and alcohol enforcement officials to The 'Pen during special events, such as College Night.[68]
T-Mobile Park and its adjoining parking garage feature extensive public art displays, including:[69]
"The Tempest", a
chandelier made of 1,000 resin baseball bats above the home plate entry. A companion 27-foot diameter compass rose mosaic at the home plate rotunda captures a number of elements in the history of baseball. It was created by Linda Beaumont, Stuart Keeler, and Michael Machnic.[70]
"Quilts" depicting each MLB team logo, made from recycled metal including
license plates from the respective teams' states (or the province of Ontario in the case of the
Toronto Blue Jays, or the District of Columbia in the case of the
Washington Nationals).[70] The collection also includes references to the history of baseball in the Pacific Northwest.[70]
The Defining Moment, a mural by Thom Ross depicting Edgar Martínez's famed "
The Double".[70]
Children's HospitalWishing Well, which features a bronze statue of a child in batting position, and includes a geyser effect that was used at the end of the national anthem.[70]
Porcelain enamel on steel flag-mounted banner-panels depicting "Positions of the Field".[70]
Statues
A bronze statue of Mariners broadcaster
Dave Niehaus (1935–2010) was unveiled on September 16, 2011.[71] The statue captures the broadcaster honored by the
Baseball Hall of Fame with the
Ford C. Frick Award in 2008, and who broadcast 5,284 Mariners games over 34 seasons (1977–2010),[72][73] at a desk, behind a microphone, wearing headphones with his Mariners scorebook in front of him. His scorebook is opened to the box score for Game 5 of the
1995 American League Division Series, when
Edgar Martínez hit "
The Double". There is an empty seat next to the statue, so fans can sit next to Niehaus and pose for photos. His longtime broadcast partner
Rick Rizzs presided over a private ceremony to unveil the statue. The Dave Niehaus Broadcast Center is on the Club Level behind home plate. When Niehaus died, his headset and microphone were placed by his empty seat in the Broadcast Center as a tribute.[74]
In April 2017, a statue of
Ken Griffey Jr. by sculptor
Lou Cella was unveiled outside the Home Plate Entrance to the ballpark.[75] After the 2017 season, the bat was broken off in an attempt to steal it, but a bystander from the office building across the street ran down the perpetrator and recovered the bat, which was subsequently reattached.[76]
A bronze statue of Martínez, also made by Cella, was installed in August 2021 on the south side of the stadium near Griffey's statue.[77]
Notable events at T-Mobile Park
Satellite photo of T-Mobile Park
Major League Baseball
On August 15, 2012, Mariners pitcher
Félix Hernández pitched the 23rd
perfect game in Major League Baseball history and the first perfect game in Mariners history. This marked the second perfect game and third no-hitter at the park, all of which occurred in the 2012 season.[78]
The stadium hosted several
soccer matches before the opening of
Lumen Field, which was designed for soccer. To prepare for soccer matches, the field has to be sodded to cover and replace the dirt infield.[81]
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