T-Mobile Park

T-Mobile Park

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T-Mobile Park (then Safeco Field) in 2007
Location near Downtown Seattle##Location in Washington##Location in the United States
Former names	Safeco Field (1999–2018)
Address	1250 First Avenue South
Location	Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Coordinates
Public transit	Stadium King Street Station
Owner	Washington State Major League Baseball Stadium Public Facilities District
Operator	Washington State Major League Baseball Stadium Public Facilities District
Capacity	Baseball: 47,929 Football: 30,144
Record attendance	WrestleMania XIX 54,097
Field size	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) 200px
Surface	Kentucky Blue Grass / Perennial Ryegrass blend
Construction
Broke ground	March 8, 1997 (March 8, 1997)
Opened	July 15, 1999 (July 15, 1999)
Construction cost	$517 million ($735 million in 2021 dollars)
Architect	NBBJ 360 Architecture
Project manager	The Vosk Group LLP
Structural engineer	Magnusson Klemencic Associates
Services engineer	Flack + Kurtz Inc.
General contractor	Hunt-Kiewit
Main contractors	The Erection Company Inc.
Tenants
Seattle Mariners (MLB) (1999–present) Seattle Bowl (NCAA) (2001)

T-Mobile Park is a retractable roof stadium in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the ballpark of Major League Baseball's Seattle Mariners and has a seating capacity of 47,929. It is in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood, near the western terminus of Interstate 90. It is owned and operated by the Washington State Major League Baseball Stadium Public Facilities District. The first game at the stadium was played on July 15, 1999.

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.

T-Mobile Park is also used for amateur baseball events, including the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association high school state championships and one Washington Huskies game per season. Major non-baseball events that have been held at T-Mobile Park include the 2001 Seattle Bowl and WrestleMania XIX in 2003, which attracted the stadium's record attendance of 54,097.

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.

Location and transportation

T-Mobile Park is in the SoDo district of downtown Seattle, bounded by Dave Niehaus Way (a block of 1st Avenue S.) to the west, Edgar Martínez Drive (formerly S. Atlantic Street) 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.

A dedicated ride-hailing lot opened in June 2023 along 3rd Avenue; it cost $2.8 million to construct and was opened ahead of the 2023 MLB All-Star Game.

History

On March 30, 1994, county executive Gary 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; the measure led early, but was narrowly defeated by one-fifth of one percent.

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. Nine days later, the King County Council approved the funding package, and established the Washington State Major League Baseball Stadium Public Facilities District to own the ballpark and oversee design and construction. Taxpayer suits opposing the legislative actions and the taxes failed in the courts.

On September 9, 1996, the site was selected for the new stadium, just south of the Kingdome. 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.

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. The construction, overseen by chief financial officer (and former team president and minority owner) Kevin Mather, continued through the beginning of the 1999 season. Its first game was on July 15, immediately after the All-Star break; the Mariners lost 3–2 to the San Diego Padres with 44,607 in attendance.

The naming rights were sold in June 1998 to Seattle-based Safeco Insurance, which paid $40 million for a 20-year deal. The 2018 season was the last played under this name, and the Safeco signage was removed from the ballpark beginning that November. The naming rights were awarded to T-Mobile on December 19, which paid $87.5 million for an agreement that will last 25 years, and the name change officially took effect on January 1, 2019.

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. In commemoration of Griffey's achievements with the team, the Mariners unveiled a new poster that declared Safeco Field "The House That Griffey Built."

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. Safeco Field had been considered one of the most pitcher-friendly ballparks in the majors since it opened. 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.

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.

Features

View from high left field corner in July 2008

There previously was technology that allowed spectators to monitor special game-time features with Nintendo DS receivers.

Layout

There are five main levels to the stadium: Field (or Street), Main Concourse (100 level – 20,634 seats), Club Level (200 level – 4,585 seats), Suite Level (1,945 seats), and Upper Concourse (300 level – 15,955 seats). Two bleacher sections are above left field and below the center field scoreboard, with 3,706 seats. 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.

Seating capacity

Years	Capacity
1999–2003	47,116
2004–2008	47,447
2009–2011	47,878
2012	47,860
2013–2014	47,476
2015	47,574
2016–2017	47,943
2018	47,715
2019	47,929

Food service

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.

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.

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.

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. 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.

Mariners Hall of Fame

Main article: Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame

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.

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.

Prior to the 2011 season, the Mariners brought in three celebrity chefs to introduce special concession stands with exclusive food options. 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.

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. 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.

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.

The 'Pen attracts large and often rowdy crowds due to its food and drink options. 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.

Artwork

T-Mobile Park and its adjoining parking garage feature extensive public art displays, including:

• "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.
• "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). The collection also includes references to the history of baseball in the Pacific Northwest.
• Stainless steel cutouts of players in various poses while catching, batting, fielding, and pitching, integrated into the fences at the stadium's four main gates.
• Six Pitches, a series of metal sculptures depicting hands gripping baseballs for various types of pitches along the west facade of the garage.
• A 9-foot-tall (2.7 m) bronze baseball glove, The Mitt by Gerard Tsutakawa, that has become an icon for T-Mobile Park.
• The Defining Moment, a mural by Thom Ross depicting Edgar Martínez's famed "The Double".
• Children's Hospital Wishing 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.
• Porcelain enamel on steel flag-mounted banner-panels depicting "Positions of the Field".

Statues

A bronze statue of Mariners broadcaster Dave Niehaus (1935–2010) was unveiled on September 16, 2011. 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), 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.

In April 2017, a statue of Ken Griffey Jr. by sculptor Lou Cella was unveiled outside the Home Plate Entrance to the ballpark. 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.

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.

Notable events

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.

College baseball

On May 4, 2007, an NCAA Pacific-10 Conference baseball attendance record was set when the Washington Huskies hosted defending National Champion Oregon State in front of 10,421 spectators. Washington won the game, 6–2.

College football

The stadium hosted the 2001 Seattle Bowl, the first edition of the short-lived Seattle Bowl college football game, on December 27, 2001. Georgia Tech defeated 11th-ranked Stanford, 24–14, before 30,144 fans.

Soccer

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.

On March 2, 2002, the United States men's national soccer team played Honduras in a friendly match, winning 4–0 in front of a then-record crowd of 38,534. The stadium hosted four matches during the 2002 CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup in November, including two matches featuring the United States women's national soccer team, as part of qualification for the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup. The first U.S. match, against Panama, had an attendance of 21,522; the second match, against Costa Rica, was attended by 10,079 fans.

Seattle Sounders FC, a Major League Soccer team that plays at adjacent Lumen Field, once drafted plans to play a 2018 CONCACAF Champions League match at then-Safeco Field due to a potential scheduling conflict.

Date	Winning Team	Result	Losing Team	Tournament	Spectators
March 2, 2002	United States	4–0	Honduras	International Friendly	38,534
November 2, 2002	Mexico	2–0	Trinidad and Tobago	2002 CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup First Round	—
	United States	9–0	Panama		21,522
November 6, 2002	Canada	2–0	Mexico	2002 CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup Semifinal	—
	United States	7–0	Costa Rica		10,079

Wrestling

On March 30, 2003, the stadium hosted WrestleMania XIX, which set an all-time record attendance for the facility of 54,097.

Ice hockey

The 2024 NHL Winter Classic on January 1 will be held at T-Mobile Park, featuring the Seattle Kraken and the Vegas Golden Knights.

Concerts

Date	Artist	Opening act(s)	Tour / Concert name	Attendance	Revenue	Notes
September 16, 2008	The Beach Boys	—	—	—	—	The stadium's first concert, although it was not open to the public.
July 19, 2013	Paul McCartney	—	Out There Tour	45,229 / 45,229	$4,525,200	The stadium's first public concert, it also featured former Nirvana members on a performance of the song "Cut Me Some Slack".
July 30, 2014	Beyoncé Jay-Z	—	On the Run Tour	40,615 / 40,615	$4,339,642
May 20, 2016	Billy Joel	Gavin DeGraw	Billy Joel in Concert	36,582 / 36,582	$4,045,000
August 19, 2017	Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers	The Lumineers	40th Anniversary Tour	42,199 / 46,050	$3,665,292
August 8, 2018	Pearl Jam	—	Pearl Jam 2018 Tour	88,142 / 91,918	$7,829,518	This was the first time in five years since the band last played in their hometown.
August 10, 2018
August 31, 2018	Zac Brown Band	OneRepublic	Down the Rabbit Hole Live	TBA	TBA
September 1, 2018	Foo Fighters	Giants in the Trees and The Joy Formidable	Concrete and Gold Tour	37,825 / 49,131	$2,913,484	The surviving members of Nirvana reunited for a few songs.
October 19, 2019	The Who	Liam Gallagher	Moving On! Tour	—	—
September 6, 2021	Green Day Fall Out Boy Weezer	The Interrupters	Hella Mega Tour	37,709 / 37,709	$4,000,109	Originally scheduled for July 25, 2020, and later, July 17, 2021.
August 3, 2022	Red Hot Chili Peppers	The Strokes Thundercat	2022 Global Stadium Tour	41,706 / 41,706	$5,489,712

Other

• The stadium was the home to the Microsoft annual employee meeting until 2012, attracting over 20,000 employees.
• Bernie Sanders held a rally for his 2016 presidential campaign on March 25.
• The stadium hosted Nitro Circus Live on September 16, 2017.
• On September 15, 2018, Russell M. Nelson, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, along with his wife, Wendy Watson Nelson, and Second Counselor Henry B. Eyring, held a devotional that was attended by 49,089 church members, friends, and members of the community.
• Several local high schools and universities have held graduation ceremonies at the stadium. Issaquah High School's class of 2000 was the first to graduate at the stadium.

See also

• Rick "The Peanut Man" Kaminski

External links

• Stadium site on MLB.com
• Video of Safeco Field – shows the roof open and close in time lapse
• Safeco Field Seating Chart
• ESPN Review

Events and tenants
Preceded by The Kingdome	Home of the Seattle Mariners 1999 – present	Succeeded by current
Preceded by Turner Field	Host of the All-Star Game 2001	Succeeded by Miller Park
Preceded by SkyDome	Host of WrestleMania 2003	Succeeded by Madison Square Garden