Baseball’s Midsummer Classic is coming to town.
By Andrew Collins
Julio Rodriguez playing for the Seattle Mariners Shutterstock/Conor P. Fitzgerald
For baseball fans, Seattle will be the place to visit in July, when beautiful T-Mobile Park (1250 First Ave S) hosts Major League Baseball’s most prestigious showcase, the All-Star Game. This iconic battle between top players in the American and National leagues is the highlight of an exciting week that includes the All-Star Futures Game (featuring the game’s rising minor league stars), the All-Star Celebrity Softball Game, the MLB Draft, and the perennial fan favorite, the Home Run Derby. Not to toot our own horn, but Seattle’s legendary centerfielder Ken Griffey Jr. is the derby’s only three-time winner. And in 2022, Mariners rookie sensation J-Rod (Julio Rodríguez) finished second.
Whether in town for the All-Star Game or during the regular season, attending a Mariners game at T-Mobile Park is always a thrill, especially during sold-out games, when the roar of more than 46,000 fellow fans is electrifying. There are no bad seats at this stunning stadium with a state-of-the-art retractable roof, baseball-themed art installations, and fantastic food concessions.
In the main concourse, explore a trove of vintage photos, uniforms, and other memorabilia at the Baseball Museum of the Pacific Northwest. And most days from April through September, you can take a one-hour stadium tour, which offers the chance to walk through the Press Box and Visitors’ Clubhouse, and even step right onto the field. If you’re attending a game, there’s another great way to get an up-close look at the field—and even some Mariners pitchers. Walk to the standing area behind centerfield, and you can look directly into the bullpen. It’s so close you can see the seams spinning on even the sharpest curveballs!
Game on!
The 93rd installment of the MLB All-Star Game will take place at T-Mobile Park on Tuesday, July 11, 2023. The always thrilling Home Run Derby takes place on Monday, the day before.
Fans and patrons sit at the Hatback Bar & Grille. Zac Zeman
Beyond Centerfield
The neighborhoods around the stadium—Pioneer Square to the north and SoDo to the south—abound with fun things to see and do, not to mention a bounty of sports bars airing games on mega-screen TVs. In August 2022, the Mariners opened the city’s premier hotspot both for watching games and socializing before and after: Hatback Bar & Grille (1201 First Ave S) is across the street from T-Mobile Park in the historic former Pyramid Brewery building and serves classic American comfort fare. This bustling space with ample indoor and outdoor seating features baseball paraphernalia from the Steelheads, Rainiers, Pilots, and Mariners, and an on-site brewpub, Steelheads Alley. Here you can sample crisp ales from acclaimed Métier Brewing (1201 First Ave S). Just up the street, stop inside Sluggers (538 First Ave S), an old-school pub with a colorful collection of baseball bobblehead dolls. It’s across the street from Gameday Sports Shop (540 Occidental Ave S), the perfect place to score Mariners caps, jerseys, and beer koozies.
Baseball in Seattle
1903
Seattle Siwashes | David Eskenazi Collection
The minor league Seattle Siwashes, later the Seattle Rainiers, become the city’s first professional baseball team.
1946
Seattle Steelheads | David Eskenazi Collection
The Seattle Steelheads, of the West Coast Negro Baseball League, make their debut.
1969
Seattle Pilots | David Eskenazi Collection
Major League Baseball comes to town in the form of the Seattle Pilots, who move to Milwaukee and become the Brewers the following season.
1977
Seattle Mariners at the Kingdome | David Eskenazi Collection
Under a new round of expansion, the Mariners become the city’s second MLB team, playing home games in the all-weather Seattle Kingdome.
1979
Ticket from the 1979 MLB All Star Game in Seattle | David Eskenazi Collection
Seattle hosts the MLB All-Star Game for the first time.
1999
Safeco Field (now T-mobile Park) in 1999 | Shutterstock/Amy Roswurm
The Kingdome is replaced by a handsome new stadium with a retractable roof, Safeco Field (which is renamed T-Mobile Park in 2019).
2022
The Seattle Mariners advance to the playoffs for the first time since 2001.
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