SEATTLE — Opening Day started early for friends Kathy Hall, Sharon Hunt, and Holly Sibold. The trio made their way to T-Mobile Park at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday morning, nearly 12 hours before the first pitch.
The Seattle Mariners home opener took place March 28 against the Boston Red Sox. The sold-out game welcomed thousands of fans from Washington and beyond, kicking off a weekend of baseball.
For the early morning risers, they had coffee, doughnuts and waited for the gates to open. They also arrived with high hopes of meeting their baseball heroes.
“I’m ready for Nelson Cruz to walk in, hopefully he will walk in,” said Hall.
Attending Opening Day is a 10-year tradition for the friends.
For visitors Jose Garcia and Janet Sevilla, it was their first time attending the start of the season.
“What better way to support the Mariners than to come here on Opening Day,” said Garcia. “Hopefully, we see a home victory.”
Fans are willing to travel for the M's. Garcia and Sevilla flew from California, and Eddie Fedele’s family made a more than 4-hour drive from Idaho to see the game.
“I am always excited. It is the beginning of the season," said Mariners fan Joe Cox, who has seen games at 36 Major League Baseball ballparks. "It is the start again, one more time, a clean slate. We get to take a shot one more time.”