Safeco Field

Lore & Background

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 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 the stadium were retired on October 1, 2011, five years earlier than anticipated.

In Their Own Story

The wind howled from the Sound as the first pitch was thrown on an opening day in April. Fans huddled under the closed roof, watching the glass panels gleam against the Seattle gray outside. Inside, the diamond smelled of fresh cut grass and damp earth. A batter stepped into the box, adjusting his cap against a draft that snuck through the seams. When he swung, the sound was sharp, echoing off the high ceiling before fading into the hum of the crowd. It wasn't just a game; it was a ritual of hope in a city where rain often ruled.

Reader's Guide

T-Mobile Park is in the SoDo district of downtown Seattle, bounded by Dave Niehaus Way to the west, Edgar Martínez Drive to the south, Royal Brougham Way to the north, and BNSF railroad tracks to the east. Parking is available at the stadium's parking garage across Edgar Martínez Drive, the Lumen Field garage to the North, and other privately operated lots in the area. Sounder commuter rail serves nearby King Street Station. T-Mobile Park is also served by the 1 Line of Sound Transit's Link light rail system and local King County Metro and Sound Transit Express bus routes at the nearby Stadium station. Events at T-Mobile Park are scheduled to avoid conflicts with Lumen Field, which is directly north of the stadium. The Mariners have priority for schedule slots per an agreement reached with the Seattle Seahawks, who play at Lumen Field. A dedicated ride-hailing lot opened in June 2023 along 3rd Avenue; it cost $2.8 million to construct and opened ahead of the 2023 MLB All-Star Game.

Did You Know?

• 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
• The stadium's record attendance of 54,097 was set at WrestleMania XIX in 2003.
• The field surface, in place since the stadium opened in 1999, underwent its first full replacement after the 2017 season.
• The center field scoreboard replaced in renovations became the largest among all stadium scoreboards in the major leagues at the time.