2015 Seattle Mariners Season Preview

Welcome guest blogger Max Kay...

2015 Seattle Mariners Season Preview

Q: How will they do?

A: They should be pretty good.  Last year they won 87 games and were the best team not to make the playoffs (the Oakland A’s and Kansas City Royals went in ahead of them with 88 and 89 wins respectively, and the Royals made the World Series).

Q: Wait, what sport is this?

A: Baseball, the official sport of Madgespace*.

Q: Why do they call it the “World Series” when the whole league is in America?

A: It is not only in America – Canada has one team!  Actually, the championship for Major League Baseball was called the World Series over 100 years ago because the people in charge wanted it to sound like a big deal and it stuck.

Q: OK fine, who are the Mariners’ best players?

A: Their best player is “King” Felix Hernandez, one of the 2-3 best pitchers in the game.  Robinson Cano (second base) joined the team last year and is a perennial All-Star.  Kyle Seager (third base) made the All-Star team last year and is considered a really good young player.  Other notables: Fernando Rodney (closer, 2014 All-Star), Hisashi Iwakuma (starting pitcher).

King Felix, image via Wikimedia Commons

Q: What has changed since last year?

A: They signed Nelson Cruz to be a designated hitter.  Cruz hit 40 home runs last year for the Baltimore Orioles and is expected to be on that above list of best players for this season.  This is a big deal because in recent years the Mariners have been a good pitching/defense team but below average offensively.  Cruz is expected to change that.  They also signed a pitcher, J.A. Happ, but no one really knows what he will bring.  Perhaps their biggest offseason change was the introduction of retro uniforms featuring elements from the late-80s unis that I grew up with.  This made me happy.

Q: Why are there so many games in baseball?  Doesn’t that make each individual game sort of not matter?

A: Each team in Major League Baseball plays 162 regular season games.  Basically, baseball is designed to be played every day.  Consistency and staying healthy are rewarded, and it really does come down to 1-2 games at the end of the season for the good teams (see above for how close the Mariners got to the playoffs last year).  Plus, they can sell a lot of tickets.  American football is the most popular sport in the U.S. in terms of television audiences, but in-person attendance was *only* 17M for the comparatively short football season.  By comparison, last year’s English Premier League attendance was 14M and Major League Baseball attendance was 74M.

Q: What is the Mariner’s mascot?  Why?

A: A moose.  No idea.

Q: What is the best food to get at a Mariners’ game?

A:

BRONZE MEDAL: Garlic fries.  Pro: they smell absolutely terrific.  Con: eat too many and you will taste them for days. 

SILVER MEDAL: Pad thai at the “Intentional Wok” stand behind home plate.  Pro: restaurant-quality, great pun.  Con: the portion is too big.  The ballpark is better for several small snacks throughout the game, and this meal-sized serving is hard to share.

GOLD MEDAL: Brats from the small food cart just on the left side behind home plate. Pro: grilled rather than boiled, these are the perfect incarnation of that iconic ballpark hot dog.  I recommend them with little sauerkraut and spicy brown mustard. Con: None observed.

Q: When does the season start?

A: Beginning of April.  Remember your baseball gloves Margaret, Char, William, Andy, Freddie, Elsie!

* Pending.