Mariners Drawing Record-Low Crowds At Safeco Field

Mariners Set All-Time Attendance Low At Safeco Field

Tuesday's Rangers-Mariners game drew a crowd of 15,818, the lowest attendance since Safeco Field opened in '99, according to John Hickey of the SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER. The Mariners, who own the worst record in the AL at 14-21, this season have drawn seven of the 10 smallest crowds in Safeco Field history. Mariners President Chuck Armstrong: "We haven't played as well as we wanted. And this is the worst schedule ever. I'm optimistic, but when you see 15,000 against a division rival, yes, you are disappointed." Hickey notes the "paying public doesn't like what it's seeing on the field in the first five weeks," and the fans "seem to be doing what unhappy constituencies do -- voting with their wallets and staying away in droves" (SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER, 5/8). Armstrong: "Until [Tuesday] night, we were ahead of last year. On a tickets-sold basis, we're still ahead of last year. Last year, we saw a surge when the team started to play well, and I think we'll see it again. ... May has traditionally been our worst attendance month no matter who we've played" (MLB.com, 5/8).

ON-FIELD PRODUCT: In Seattle, Jerry Brewer writes the Mariners "need to string together victories to show they can win," and "uplift a fan base resting between miffed and outraged." Brewer, on poor attendance: "The weather has contributed to those numbers, as well as the lack of marquee early-season home opponents, and undoubtedly, the attendance will double as the season progresses. But because this ballyhooed team has faltered this early, the Mariners must also fear that they've sold their supporters a product -- supposedly, a great team -- that they cannot produce" (SEATTLE TIMES, 5/8).

MARLINS: The Brewers-Marlins game Tuesday night had an announced crowd of 10,113 fans at Dolphin Stadium, but in Milwaukee, Bob Wolfley writes if "that's the case, about 5,000 of them were dressed as empty orange seats" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 5/8). Last night's Brewers-Marlins game drew a paid attendance of 10,405 (THE DAILY).