A Journalist/Baseball Fan’s Experience at a Mariners vs. Marlins MLB Game

A week ago, myself and six other members of the Gigantea had the privilege of attending the 2025 Spring JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention in Seattle, Washington from April 23-26. As part of our trip, we went to a Major League Baseball (MLB) game.

By: Lucas de Lima

Besides the registration, workshops, and speakers, the opportunities to explore the city of Seattle were abound. We visited many of the classic Seattle landmarks: the Space Needle, Pike Place Market, the first Starbucks, the Starbucks Reserve Roastery, and the Seattle Great Wheel.

But my favorite moment in Seattle was attending a Seattle Mariners ballgame at their home, T-Mobile Park, on Friday, April 25th against the Miami Marlins.

Now, as a devout San Francisco Giants fan, this contest didn’t intrigue me in the sense of any rivalries or fascinating matchups. An American League (AL) West team versus a National League (NL) East team? In late April? With no playoff implications whatsoever? If I was anywhere else in the world on that Friday night, that game would have meant minimal to me.

Except I wasn’t anywhere else in the world. I was in Seattle, Washington, in the blossoming stages of the MLB season, where teams and fans still have high hopes for later success. Plus since I have the upmost respect for all sporting contests, a deep admiration for visiting new stadiums, and a special place in my heart for the game of baseball (my first sports love), this game meant everything to me that night.

Ever since we were graciously given eight tickets free of charge by Krissy Heatherington, ’21, currently working in the Mariners communication and baseball statistics department and former Gigantea Editor-in-Chief, I had my mind set on the ballgame.

When the time finally came for us to go, we walked over to Westlake station, took the light rail to the Stadium stop, and got off, joining thousands of other early Mariners fans who were also there two hours before first pitch.

This being my first time attending a game at T-Mobile Park, I had no idea what to expect in terms of fan engagement. This game being their first one at home after a nine game road trip with stops in Cincinnatti, Toronto, and Boston, the fans were out and ready to watch their Mariners play at home for the first time in 12 days.

The stadium was buzzing, and we chatted up with a lifelong Mariners fan in front of us to pass the time as we waited in the non-T-Mobile customers line to enter the stadium.

With the reveal of the field as we walked to our seats in section 143, I got that familiar feeling of wonder as I laid my eyes on a field for the very first time. It’s a feeling that will never escape me, one I will literally chase across the globe to sense again and again.

By the time we got to our seats, there was about and hour and 15 minutes until first pitch, and the Marlins were still holding their pregame batting practice session. Noticing a clear opportunity to take home a souvenier home run ball, Fabian Anguiano, ’28, Cody Abney, ’25, and I got out of our seats to reach sections 108 and 109 which were prime for catching a ball.

About halfway through our lap we got a message that Heatherington was on her way to our seats to check in and chat. Our mission was put to the side, and we completed the lap all the way around the stadium back to our original seats in section 143.

We gave our thanks to Heatherington and talked, while our advisor Mr. Nick Miller and Heatherington reminisced about the challenges of writing for a high school newspaper during the peak of a global pandemic.

Heatherington would also later give us papers of the team lineups, statistics, and a scorecard so we could follow the game with more knowledge.

Another item on my pregame to-do list was to grab a stadium hot dog. Right near our section was a grill cart, so I waited patiently in line for my only chance to try an Ultimate Seattle Dog, minus the jalapenos. Albeit being a bit messy, the doge exceeded my expectations, and I would definitely try it again.

After all this, it was time for some baseball. I took my seat with food in hand, removed my Giants hat and saluted the American flag during our National Anthem, and yelled the classic motto “play ball!” to kickstart the game.

The first three half-innings were uneventful, with routine three-up three-down by both starting pitchers. It wasn’t until the bottom of the 2nd when Dylan Moore smashed a home run to left field off of Cal Quantrill to open the scoring for the home side. This woke up the crowd, and reenergized the fans, who wanted more offensive firepower from their beloved Mariners.

After Logan Gilbert, the ace pitcher for the Mariners excited the game in the third inning with right forearm soreness, the Marlins sensed an opportunity to get back in the game.

The top of the 5th inning was an offensive showcase for the Marlins against relief pitcher Casey Lawrence of the Mariners, with Miami scoring six runs to blow the game open, and thus completely changing the mood inside T-Mobile Park.

The six-run 5th inning for the Marlins was capped off with a solo home run from Jesus Sanchez, who took his sweet time rounding the bases to a chorus of boos from the Mariners fans.

In the middle of all this I purchased a bag of kettle corn from one of the stairs vendors, who guilt tripped me when I declined giving a tip on his keypad. (If you’re reading this, my apologies). The popcorn was still tasty, and its large quantity was well worth the $12.13 price. Even after I heavily shared the popcorn with my Gigantea peers, the bag still had a third left after about two hours of consumption.

In terms of the game, a two-run homer from Jorge Planco to make the score 6-4 still in favor of the Marlins gave the Mariners renewed hope, and gave the crowd a much-needed boost after the shock of the top of the 5th.

This hope was squashed for good after Agustin Ramirez belted a two-run homer of his own, making the score 8-4 for the Marlins and putting the game away for good. The final outs flew by, and Miami wrapped up a series-opening win.

The walk back to the light rail post game was a little somber, but with still a buzz and plenty of conversations to be had recapping the events of the ballgame.

Surprisingly, I encountered a handful of Giants fans at the game, with an obligatory “Go Giants!” to go along with our encounters.

The returning light rail was filled to brim with departing fans, so much so that we had to wait for a second one to come along to take us back to Westlake station.

Overall, I had an amazing experience witnessing live MLB for the first time in over 10 months, in an awesome ballpark in an entertaining city.

Look where being a journalist for the Redwood Gigantea can take you.

Tags: Baseball, mariners, mlb, rangers, Redwood, redwood baseball, redwood gigantea, redwood high school, redwood journalism, redwood mlb, redwood rangers, redwood sports, rhs, rhs baseball, rhs mlb, seattle, Seattle Mariners, visalia ca