Safeco Field, Seattle, Washington

June 11, 2018

At long last, we were finally here: Seattle, Washington, sight of our 30th Major League Baseball stadium. The drive up here from San Antonio was the longest yet, coming in at about 2,100 miles just one way. With no other MLB stadiums in the vicinity, we planned this trip a bit differently, looking for some Minor League stadiums to see on the way to and from Seattle to break up the long drive. On the way up we had a ton of fun at the Salt Lake Bees game in Utah along with some fun stops in Albuquerque, Boise and lots of sightseeing in Seattle itself, but now it was time for the main event.

We took an Uber from our downtown hotel to Safeco Field. Upon arrival we took pictures with the new Ken Griffey Jr. statue, which to me was one of the cooler statues I’d ever seen, featuring Griffey’s iconic home run after-swing pose. From there we walked to the left field gate, which opened 30 minutes before any other gate. Here we took pictures in front of the giant Safeco Field signs, all six of us together celebrating this special night. We were all wearing special shirts as well, as my mom earlier in the day surprised us with custom t-shirts that read “We Did It! 30 MLB stadiums and counting…” This was such a fun idea that turned out to be a great conversation starter all night long.

As 4:30 p.m. came we finally were able to walk in to our 30th MLB stadium. I couldn’t believe we were really here! We were all so excited, and I was really emotional, as I was literally seeing my dream come true. Before getting too caught up in everything, we had to follow our tradition and begin our exploration of the entire ballpark. At the moment only “The ‘Pen” was open, a section for fans to watch pitchers warm up super close in the bullpen. Once the rest of the stadium opened, we began making our way to everything. Upstairs we took so many pictures, from the mascot Moose’s Den to the play fountain for kids. At this point one of my dad’s friends from Mexico met us at the ballpark, and he joined in on a picture with the statue of Mariners broadcaster Dave Niehaus.

Our walk around Safeco Field continued with a stop at the now well-known roasted grasshoppers stand, which by now after following our trips you’ll know Adrian of course bought to eat. Then we went to the Mariners Hall of Fame, where we saw an Ichiro display, pretended to rob some home runs and saw some really cool baseball sculptures. Next was an important stop at guest services. It was time to get the final stamp in my MLB Ballpark Passport. What a moment! The lady who helped us was so nice, she even gave us some goodies to celebrate this being our 30th stadium. Everyone here was being so friendly!

By now it was time for the game to begin, and to my shock, Adrian had secured us tickets right behind home plate. The visiting Angels scored first with a Mike Trout home run, and I still couldn’t believe we were really here. A few innings later, I found out the surprises weren’t done. Apparently Adrian worked hard to contact the Mariners and told them all about our journey, along with the fact that Safeco marked the completion of our journey. The Mariners were so nice that they came down to our seats and brought us bags filled with gifts, which was truly unbelievable. Plus, we made it on the big screen! I was in heaven. I truly had never been happier in my life.

Later in the game we made sure to go to the upper deck, where rumor had it there were some amazing views. Let me just say, people weren’t kidding. On one end you could look out and see Mt. Rainier in the distance, and on the other you had a stunning view of downtown Seattle with a beautiful sunset. It just doesn’t get any better than this. The upper deck also had really fun features, such as a life-size cartoon doll of Felix Hernandez, a picture with Nelson Cruz’s “Boomstick” bat and a chance to get “splashed” by a fake Gatorade shower. Details like this only add to the beauty of this stadium.

Before we knew it the game was in the 9th inning, when Closer Edwin Diaz marched in to pitch with an exhilarating walk-in song, “Narco” by Blasterjaxx and Timmy Trumpet, which had the entire crowd on its feet. Diaz zoomed heaters by the Angels and the Mariners won the game! We took some final pictures behind home, including one with the “Big 3,” my mom, Adrian and myself, who had gone on each trip. Then I bought my bat and a shirt in the team store, and it was now time to leave Safeco Field.

Something that began with me loving a little bird led us to 40 states and 30 Major League Baseball stadiums over seven summers. From the Freedom Trail in Boston to Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, from South Beach in Miami to Pike Place Market in Seattle, and from the fountains of Kauffman Stadium to the Ivy of Wrigley Field, our family got to experience America’s Pastime while experiencing the wonders of our beautiful country. As an 11 year old Orioles fanatic, I had a crazy goal of seeing all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums. Here I stood seven years later with the mission completed together with my best friends: my family.