Season Opener

ANEW: Thursday night, there was nowhere on Earth we'd rather be than sitting in Safeco Field for the Mariners' home opener. 

It has been a long winter, and baseball resoundingly signals the start to a new season.

We arrived at the field a couple hours pre-first pitch. We took that time to soak up the sights and sounds of the stadium.

After checking out the bullpen and walking the main concourse for a bit, eventually, we headed out to the fan zone on the third level, in the stadium's southwest corner.

 There, the kids checked out Nelson Cruz's "boomstick" and had fun with a bucket of Gatorade.

They posed next to a Felix photo. The King was last night's starter - an honor he's had now for 10 years running. That's the longest opening day starting streak in Major League Baseball.

After awhile, we moseyed on up to our seats of choice - the very top row of the stadium, on the Puget Sound side. We LOVE it there. We have a great view of the whole park, the scoreboard, the cityscape and the Sound. What's not to love?

We watched workers ready the field for the inaugural game.

The guy did a nice job on the "8," I thought.

Naturally, Home Plate had to be perfect, too.

They rolled out the red carpet for Opening Night. Below, "King" Felix Hernandez made a long, lonely walk from the dugout to the bullpen in centerfield.

The visitors on opening day were the Cleveland Indians. Their squad was announced first.

And then, it was time for the Mariners! Some of the guys were so excited, they jumped for joy coming out of the gate.

There were fireworks, of course. 

The loudest cheers were reserved for one Mr. Ichiro Suzuki. The future Hall of Famer is a beloved former Mariner, now back with the team.

 Suzuki is still going strong at 44.

 He looked stoked to be on the squad.

Pre-game festivities included a fly-over of a U.S. Air Force C-17 from the 4th Airlift Squadron at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. We turned and looked out the window behind our seats and saw it coming!

 It's a big bird!

 With a big belly!

The Mariners posted this photo of the flyover on their social media today.

Below is the obligatory first pitch photo (taken from the last row of the stadium).

Fans had to wait until the ninth spot in the batting order to see a favorite son return on offense.

All eyes were on him, even in the on deck circle.

 No mistaking his pre-bat stretching routine!

And it doesn't get any more iconic than this pose.

The kids will tell you a little bit more about the evening. CJ is up first. ... 

Yesterday, I went to the opening night of the Seattle Mariners' 2018 season at Safeco Field. The Mariners played against the Cleveland Indians, and won by a score of 2-1. Here is my description my experience at the game:
For much (if not most) of the game, I sat in one of the seats at the top of the seating areas. The Massive MarinersVision screen regularly displayed the portraits of whoever was at the bat, as well as the number of runs each team had. Early in the game, the Mariners scored both of their runs in the same inning, while the Indians' only run came much later in the game.
While walking through the stadium, I smelled several different food stands, staples at Safeco Field. For example, while near Fair Territory, I could smell the stand's fried pastries. At one point in the crowd, there was a short-lived attempt at a "wave," which never reached our area.

Toward the end of the game, my family moved from our high-up seats to an area just behind home plate. This meant that I got to see Edwin Diaz throw the final pitch of the game, immediately followed up by the Jimi Hendrix Experience's Fire (a song played after Mariners home victories).

Annabelle paints this picture of Opening Day. ...

Opening Day at Safeco is surrounded by people, yelling and cheering as they wait for the game. The crowd pushes through the concourse as the food stands begin to open, filling the air with the scent of kettle corn, salty and sweet. On the outer sides of the stadium, the wind blows against layers of hats and coats, protecting us from the trademark Seattle weather. Once the event really starts, the booming of the fireworks and the announcer’s voice fills the air, just as it has on opening day for years. The crowd cheers loudly during the opening ceremony as the players are introduced. The first inning brings down a blanket of silence, where between every pitch, every connection with the bat, the crowd sits completely still. During the second inning, the stadium erupts with cheers as a 2-run homer is hit, diving deep into center field. The following innings are mostly quiet, with the crowd bundled up as the night gets darker. No more home runs- a few disappointing pitches, foul balls, and a walk in the ninth- but the game is largely over. The fans rush through the gates, pushing past a sea of people as they cheer and converse, celebrating the new beginning of another baseball season.

The Mariners shared this short video of Opening Day highlights. 

All in all, it was a joyous occasion. 
Welcome back baseball, welcome back.