A Shot in the Dark: Break Between Innings

Safeco Field's dance party between at-bats.

Whenever a music lover watches a Mariners game live, it’s hard not to notice the songs that introduce the ballplayers before each at-bat. You might have observed that Ichiro loves the rapper Flo Rida, who remixed a personalized version of the song “Jump” just for him. Many of the Latin players come out to reggaeton songs, and it’s a little-known fact that the Mariners were one of the first baseball teams to allow its players to personalize their at-bat music. Folks were certainly having a good time dancing to some of this music last Tuesday night, as the M’s beat the Angels 2–1. Despite the victory, it was a rather uneventful game, at its liveliest whenever music was playing. Folks were dancing and drinking $8 beers faster than you can say “rip-off.” A round of drinks for four cost $48 without tip—but considering that price is tied to the presence of world-class athletes, the 50-spot was probably worth it. Just when it seemed as though all the Latin Mariners were using reggaeton only, slugger Franklin Gutiérrez strolled out to Jay-Z’s “Death of Autotune,” previously an Internet-only leak that shows the M’s ace keeps his ears to the tweets. Between innings, the stadium DJ even played “Build Me Up Buttercup” by the Foundations. While Safeco Field is no nightclub, there’s a guaranteed dance party at every home game, and that’s worth supporting even if you’re not a sports buff.