Bring ‘em down to the ballpark: Second half of the season starts with fireworks, aloha, bobbleheads, trading cards, and more
By Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA – The first homestand of the second half for the Seattle Mariners and their seventh overall during their 2023 season is ten games long, with plenty of reason to head down to T-Mobile Park outside of the fact that the team is seemingly turning the corner to get themselves back into playoff positioning. Over the course of this nearly two-week stretch of ballgames, there are plenty of funs ways to celebrate your hobbies, college affiliation, heritage, and more in ways that the Mariners have put together. A stretch that looms large over the next homestand that only lasts three games long, it can’t be overstated that Seattle’s baseball team has put together numerous things to do and celebrate if you’re making your way to the SoDo region of the Emerald City.
Special jersey nights bookend the homestand
To both begin and end this ten-game stretch, the Mariners are hosting special theme nights that largely celebrate colleges from the state of Washington. For the series opener against the Tigers on July 14th, fans can purchase their tickets here to take part in Filipino heritage night and get a specially themed Filipino flag jersey to represent the countries colors and the Seattle baseball team at the same time. In addition to getting the sweet jersey, $4 of every ticket purchased via that link will benefit the “Filipino community of Seattle.” It’s a fun continuation of celebrating heritage of the Philippines, something that the Mariners have done for years through various clothing items similar to the jersey itself. Heritage themed nights continue on July 16th when Seattle celebrates Croatian heritage night with a special Croatia/Mariners themed shirt if you purchase a ticket at this link.
We get to the collegiate themed nights now, going back to the beginning of the homestand. On July 15th, the Mariners will celebrate the school from the other side of the state, Washington State University, with a special themed night and jersey if you purchase a ticket via this link here. $5 from every ticket purchased at the link will benefit the WSU Student-alumni engagement programs. It takes a few days before the next collegiate themed community night, when we get to the good guys of Washington, as the Seattle baseball club celebrates the University of Washington on July 21st where alumni Huskies can get a special UW/Mariners themed jersey if they purchase a ticket at this link here. The homestand is rounded out by college nights, as the University of Idaho and Eastern Washington University will both host similar events. Click here for the link to the University of Idaho night and here for the Eastern Washington University link. There are interesting differences, as Idaho fans will get a t-shirt with their purchased ticket and Eastern Washington fans not only get an EWU/Mariners themed jersey but also access to a private pregame happy hour on the Rooftop Boardwalk from gates open to first pitch where light refreshments and snacks will be served.
Firework festivities
To celebrate the ending of All-Star week in Seattle, the third time the Emerald City has hosted the midsummer Classic, the Mariners will begin the homestand with a post-game firework show themed around the All-Star game and the week itself that they just hosted. Perhaps a usage of the remaining pyro that the ballclub has, but more than likely a celebration of a successful event that T-Mobile Park, Lumen Field, SoDo, and the Mariners hosted to become the center of the baseball world for that stretch of six days. There were tons of festivities during that period for fans of all ages and different teams, and we looked into that with our extensive coverage that you can find by clicking the link here.
Aloha means hello and goodbye
The Saturday, July 15th game is a busy night for multiple reasons, including the sweet giveaway that the first 10,000 fans into T-Mobile Park will be receiving ahead of the Mariners game two of the series against the Detroit Tigers. With the heat turning up in the city of Seattle and the vibes seemingly heading towards general warm weather here in Western Washington, what better way to celebrate than in your Seattle Mariners themed floral shirt as you enjoy the limited summer in the area and the Mariners bats (hopefully) heat up over the next few months? It’s sure to be a fun giveaway for those who can get into the ballpark within that first 10,000 threshold, and another good nod to what the organization is doing to try and expand their reach to more than just “hardcore” or “standard” baseball fans.
Special nights for different groups
Outside of some of the general genres, heritage, and college nights that the Mariners are hosting over the length of this ten game homestand, Seattle has a few “odds and ends” so to say when it comes to the other promotions and community games that they are hosting. There are ones for good causes, such as the Tasha Mitchell O.T.T.E.R.S fund night where every ticket purchased via this link will have $10 from it benefiting the foundation that aims to help families who are battling rare Sarcoma cancers. There are tickets that you can purchase via this link at a discount for those Mariners fans who are Deaf and hard of hearing. There’s Law Enforcement appreciation day, where Seattle fans who purchase a ticket via this link can receive a special “Mariners themed” item. July 17th will feature a bark at the park night, if purchased via this link, which is one of the more fan-favorite nights that the team hosts. Seattle hosts another one of their four peanut-controlled ticket specials if you purchase a ticket via this link on July 19th. On July 20th, fans who purchase a ticket via this link can have $5 of their purchase go towards supporting WAETAG, which stands for the Washington Association for Educators of the Talented and Gifted.
A few more nights that aren’t necessarily similar to the other themes that are taking place throughout the course of the homestand include when the Mariners will host Rat City Roller Derby night, with special tickets via this link here, and $5 from every one of the tickets that are purchased via that link will benefit the Rat City Roller Derby itself.
Seattle skaters
In perhaps one of the cooler and more unique themed theme nights that I’ve ever seen the Mariners host, on July 16th against the Tigers, if you purchase a ticket via this link, you will be taking home a limited-edition Mariners-themed skateboard deck. I don’t quite know if I've seen a team in Major League Baseball do something similar to this where you can get an entire deck themed around the team from the organization itself, but it’s sure to be a favorite for those who skate and or those who collect decks as cool as this one. While the bobbleheads, Yellowstone belt buckles, Berets, and other items are cool and this isn’t meant to put them down, a special themed skateboard deck is something that really sticks out and I applaud the Mariners the creativity there.
Christmas in July?
While the name of this event might stick out a bit and is a little different than the others that we’ve shared with you on here, what the ticket benefits is a very genuine and kind gesture by the Mariners. If you purchase a ticket via this link for the game against the Twins on July 17th, not only will you receive a Mariners-themed Snow Globe with your ticket, $10 of every ticket that is sold via the link will benefit Seattle Mariners broadcast Rick Rizzs’ Toys for Kids charity. In doing a little research, this will be a special night for the charity that Rizzs is a founder of, as they'll be taking 350 kids from the different agencies that we serve to the ballgame. Per the charity's website, “For most of these kids, this will be the first game they will be attending. Many of the Seattle Mariners current and former players come to visit the kids to show them support.”
A taste of France (July 18th)
Your favorite night (or maybe it’s just our favorite night?) of the season is back, and it’s taking place during this homestand. The Mariners are hosting their beloved “South of France” night to celebrate first baseman Ty France, who isn’t actually French, that we know of. Just a few sections over from where Ty roams, you can sit with a special ticket purchased here and in addition so watching Mr. France, you’ll get a limited-edition Mariners themed Beret and Baguette. A baseball game comes with your purchase of a stylish Beret and Baguette? Truly, what more can you ask for? The tradition of the event continues to the now third year, the same amount of time that France has spent with the Mariners organization. In each of the renditions, fans have brought their own “French” themed attire and our friend Joe Veyera has brought his own baguette, getting noticed by the Mariners social media account. It’s sure to be a night of fun, celebrating France as he hopefully uses his own baguette to rack up some hits.
In addition to this South of France themed night, fans who won’t necessarily be purchasing their tickets via this special link in that section behind Ty France will be able to celebrate the country and first baseman as the first 20,000 fans into the ballpark will receive a bobblehead. That bobblehead will be of France, holding a baguette, standing on an outline of the country itself. Seattle’s baseball team has had numerous fun bobbleheads over the course of its existence but given that this one is themed around a players last name like this, the Ty France “French” bobblehead must be one of the better ones in team history.
Comic crusaders (July 19th)
The MLB has appeared to have partnered with DC Comics, considering that teams around the league have hosted their own “DC Comics” nights over the course of the season or plan to do so before we get to the playoffs. Seattle will host their own version of the night to celebrate Marvel’s archrivals on Wednesday, July 19th when you can pick up a Mariners themed bobblehead of Wonder Woman. Decked out in the Seattle blue and green, including her own glove and ball, it’s unclear whether Wonder Woman would be a hard throwing addition to the rotation or a star in the Mariners outfield, but nonetheless you can celebrate the DC Comics franchise if you purchase that ticket here for that game when the Twins come to town.
Card collectors
Card collecting in baseball is a huge deal and has been since it began decades and decades ago. Over the course of 2020 the market for baseball cards and cards seemed to skyrocket, and now it’s easy to find fans at the ballpark looking for packs at the stores around T-Mobile Park. Whether it’s starting at a young age with a few cards that the ushers at the ballpark give you or you’re looking for a special card in the packs you buy, collectors galore can come out on Wednesday, July 19th for “international trading card day.” The first 10,000 fans into the ballpark will receive a special Mariners-themed pack of cards presented by Topps, one of the leading companies in sports trading cards, and if you purchase a special ticket at this link, you’ll get a special shirt with a card of Julio Rodriguez on it in addition to accessing a pregame card show on the rooftop boardwalk! I’m unsure if the Mariners have ever done something like this before, but given the popularity of cards, it’s a fun thing to do (remember, you can only access that card show through buying a ticket at the link here).
What to look forward to during homestand #8
Following this ten-game monster of a homestand, Seattle heads out on a six-games in seven days road trip to round out the month of July. Homestand number eight begins on the last day of the month, and it’s hard to really even call it a homestand given that it only lasts the duration of a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox. It’s hardly anything in length compared to homestand seven, but it still technically counts and all the same, there’s promotions during it. One to keep out for, outside of the fact that we’ll go over the rest of them, is Harry Potter Night.