Seattle Mariners Rumors: Why Can’t The Mariners Win Games At Safeco Field?


Seattle Mariners rumors about a lack of success at Safeco Field have been around for years. These Mariners rumors have grown to include the team failing to adjust to the park, not having the right type of hitters to succeed there, and not being good enough to compete. On Friday night, April 22, the Mariners won another road game against the Los Angeles Angels. The 5-2 victory in 10 innings showed that the Mariners might be better than their 2016 record at Safeco Field would indicate.

With the victory, the Mariners have an impressive record of 7-3 on the road this season, tied for the best road record in Major League Baseball. The problem is that the Mariners lost five-of-six games during the first homestand at Safeco Field this year. It has led to a combined record of just 8-8 that is good enough for third place in the American League West. Where many teams have a home field advantage in sports, the Mariners almost seem cursed playing in the Pacific Northwest.

The Seattle Mariners rumor about the inability to win at home didn’t just start this year, as the team has been having problems for a while. During the 2015 MLB season, the Mariners posted a 40-41 record on the road, but were just 36-45 at home. That was the second-worst home record in the American League, ahead of only the Oakland Athletics at 34-47. It contributed to the Mariners finishing 76-86 and in fourth place in the AL West.

In the 2014 MLB season, where Seattle finished just two wins from the postseason, the Mariners still struggled to win consistently at Safeco Field. While posting a very impressive 46-35 road record that ranked second-best in the American League, the Mariners were also just 41-40 at home. A failure to win more games at Safeco Field kept the 87-75 Mariners from sneaking into the postseason. Working back from there, the Mariners were 36-45 at home in 2013, 40-41 in 2012, 39-45 in 2011, and 35-46 in 2010.

Nori Aoki Strikes Out
(Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

In games at Safeco Field during the 2016 MLB season, the Seattle Mariners rank as the worst team in baseball at home. Through six games, the Mariners have a.170 batting average,.248 on-base percentage, and just 11 runs scored. The OPS of.523 also ranks as the worst in baseball, compounded further by having only one stolen base at Safeco Field this year. With new players like Ketel Marte, Leonys Martin, and Nori Aoki known for their speed, that number was entirely unexpected this year. A failure to even get on base has limited the opportunities as well.

In 10 road games, the Mariners have a .259 batting average,.328 on-base percentage, and an OPS of.771 that has helped create 53 runs. That’s an average of 5.3 runs per game for the Mariners on the road, compared to just 1.8 runs per game at Safeco Field. Not all the losses can be blamed on the offense, though, as the pitching has also faltered at home. The Mariners are 1-5 with a 4.50 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and opponents batting.263 against them. On the road, the Mariners staff is 7-3 with a 2.63 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and opponents are hitting just.206 against them.

Mariners Fans
(Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

The trend of pitching worse and not hitting at Safeco Field is not one that the team can continue if it wants to contend in the American League West. It could be worrisome to fans that two good pitching staffs (Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals) are coming to Seattle for games in the last week of April. A way for the team to overcome these Seattle Mariners rumors about an inability to win at home is actually quite simple. The Mariners just need to pitch and hit better at Safeco Field, though that’s easier said than done.

[Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images]

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