Seattle Mariners

SEATTLE MARINERS

The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in 1977, the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July 1999. From their 1977 inception until June 1999, the club's home park was the Kingdome before moving to Safeco Field. Through the 2013 season, the franchise has finished with a losing record in 26 of 37 seasons.

The "Mariners" name originates from the prominence of marine culture in the city of Seattle. They are nicknamed "the M's", a title featured in their primary logo from 1987–1992. The current team colors are Navy Blue, Northwest Green (also known as dark cyan), and Metallic Silver, after having been Royal Blue and Gold from 1977–1992. Their mascot is the Mariner Moose.

The organization did not field a winning team until 1991, and any real success eluded them until 1995 when they won their first division championship and defeated the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series. The game-winning hit in Game 5, in which Edgar Martínez drove home Ken Griffey, Jr. to win the game in the 11th inning, clinched a series win for the Mariners, and has since become an iconic moment in team history.

The Mariners won 116 games in 2001, which set the American League record for most wins in a single season and tied the 1906 Chicago Cubs for the Major League record for most wins in a single season.

The Mariners are one of eight Major League Baseball teams without a World Series title, and one of two (along with the Washington Nationals) to never have appeared in a World Series.

Owned by Nintendo of America, the Mariners are one of three Major League Baseball teams under corporate ownership; the other two are the Atlanta Braves and the Toronto Blue Jays.

SAFECO FIELD

Safeco Field (originally rendered SAFECO Field and sometimes referred to as Safeco) is a retractable roof baseball stadium located in Seattle, Washington. The stadium, owned and operated by the Washington-King County Stadium Authority, is the home stadium of the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB) and has a seating capacity of 47,476 for baseball. It is located in Seattle's So Doneighborhood near the western terminus of Interstate 90.

During the 1990s, the suitability of the Mariners' previous stadium—the Kingdome—as an MLB facility came under doubt, and the team's ownership group threatened to relocate the team. In September 1995, King County voters defeated a ballot measure to secure public funding for a new baseball stadium. Shortly thereafter, the Mariners' first appearance in the MLB postseason and their victory in the 1995 American League Division Series (ALDS) renewed a public desire to keep the team in town. As a result, the Washington State Legislature approved an alternate means of funding for the stadium with public money. The site for the stadium—just south of the Kingdome—was selected in September 1996, and construction began in March 1997. Construction lasted until July 1999, and the stadium hosted its first game on July 15, 1999.

Aside from the Mariners, Safeco Field is also used for amateur baseball events including the Washington Interscholastic Activities Associationhigh school state championships and one Washington Huskies baseball game per season. Major non-baseball events that have been held at Safeco Field include the 2001 and 2002 college football Seattle Bowl's (the first game attracted 30,144 and the second attracted 38,241), as well as WrestleMania XIX in 2003 which attracted the stadiums record attendance of 54,097.

Naming rights to the stadium are owned by Seattle-based Safeco Insurance. Safeco reportedly paid US$40 million to have its name on the stadium for 20 years. The bonds issued to finance Safeco Field were retired on October 1, 2011, five years earlier than anticipated.