Seattle Mariners Manager Talks About the Impact of Sunday Night Baseball in Seattle
SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners were already heavily anticipating their ESPN Sunday Night Baseball game against the New York Mets.
The game became a lot more interesting a few hours before first pitch when it was announced that franchise star Julio Rodriguez would be activated off the injured list and slotted in the lineup as a designated hitter.
Many Mariners fans were already looking forward to the game before the Rodriguez news was announced. After all — it's been rare for the Sunday Night Baseball crew to roll through Seattle.
The last time the Mariners hosted Sunday Night Baseball was June 6, 2004. Seattle won a dramatic game against the Chicago White Sox with a ninth-inning rally.
Mariners manager Scott Servais spoke in a pregame interview Sunday about the meaning and potential impact of hosting Sunday Night Baseball.
"I think it's great," Servais said. "Obviously you need to do well and be in a good position — which we are. We've had a good year. But we have a lot of big games ahead of us. We're a team, I think, that's fun to watch. And not many people outside the Pacific Northwest get to see us much but we've got some star power. We got an awesome pitching staff, it's a great ballpark with a really solid fanbase. It should be here more often — it shouldn't 20-something years since they've been back, but you got to earn it. The best teams play on Sunday Night Baseball."
T-Mobile Park and Seattle as a whole has seen a lot of national attention in the last couple years.
The Mariners broke their 21-year playoff drought in 2022 and have been in the thick of the playoff race for at least most of the season since 2021. T-Mobile Park hosted the All-Star Game in 2023 and the 2024 NHL Winter Classic.
More and more fans and organizations are starting to recognize Seattle as nationally relevant — both as a franchise as a city.
Servais said it best — the best teams play on Sunday Night Baseball. And the more the Mariners perform, the more likely fans will see the ESPN come through the PNW in the future.
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MARINERS WIN SERIES AGAINST METS: The Seattle Mariners shut out the New York Mets with a 4-0 win on Saturday and secured a series win in the process. CLICK HERE
RODRIGUEZ ACTIVATED FROM INJURED LIST: The Seattle Mariners activated outfielder Julio Rodriguez and optioned infielder Ryan Bliss to Triple-A Tacoma in a a corresponding move ahead of their Sunday Night Baseball clash against the New York Mets on Sunday. CLICK HERE
THROWBACK TO LAST TIME SUNDAY NIGHT BASEBALL WAS IN SEATTLE: The Seattle Mariners put together a dramatic ninth-inning rally against the Chicago White Sox the last time T-Mobile Park (Then Safeco Field) hosted Sunday Night Baseball. CLICK HERE
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