Will Safeco Field Attendance Hit a Record-Low This Week?

Twenty-six years ago yesterday, we Mariner fans made our poorest showing of all time: only 3,360 of us came out to a late-season game against the Royals. (I have an excuse, I was only six years old and had spent my entire allowance on Colorforms.)

Take a seat, any seat

We’ll never see a baseball crowd that small again (unless the M’s bring back Bill Bavasi as GM), but we could see the smallest crowd in Safeco Field history this week.

The low turnout in Safeco Field history is 15,818, last May 6 in a game against Texas. But the stars are aligning for an even lower number tonight or tomorrow as the M’s face the Oakland A’s.

Three crowds from the M’s recent mid-week series against Chicago took their place among the ten lowest in Safeco history; the 16,336 who showed up Thursday now represent the 4th-smallest crowd the stadium has ever seen.

Now the M’s play a team with an even smaller fan base than the White Sox, and the temperature has dropped to the mid-50s.

I’m going, I’ve got season tickets and this one landed on my docket. The only good news is: 1) Felix Hernandez is pitching, and 2) The A’s are starting a right-handed pitcher, so Griffey will likely start.

Neither of those things are likely to inspire a large walk-up crowd, especially when fans will have to brave rain on the walk.

None of this can compare to the bad old days of the Kingdome, when the M’s were lucky to draw even 10,000 fans. In fact, in each the 11 seasons from 1978-88, the M’s average attendance was smaller than the lowest-ever crowd at Safeco.

Wouldn’t mind a little indoor action for this game, but I’ll be fleeced up and ready to go. Who’s with me? … anyone?