Hey, They Got One Right!

Safeco Field (with the dome open), Aug-1999.

The Kingdome is still visible in this photo, but not for long.

• Location: First and Atlantic streets, Seattle, Wash.
• Opened: 1999
• Home team: Seattle Mariners, American League (1999-present)
• Capacity: 45,600

Rating: 4 baseballs

But if that’s the biggest fault I have with the park, it’s pretty good. As always, personal experience makes a big difference, and on the day I visited, the sun came out at game time and turned the park into a brilliant place to watch a game.

They have a retractable roof here, but it hangs out beyond right field when it’s not in use, covering the train yard. It’s not nearly as imposing a figure as it is at SkyDome or even Bank One Ballpark; in fact, you almost forget it’s there when the roof’s open. I did hang around long enough for them to close the roof after the game; I did feel like I was indoors, although the roof doesn’t actually enclose the stadium -- it just covers it. (In a gusty thunderstorm, people could get wet.)

Intelligently, the “open” side of the park is in left field (where one half of the roof tracks). On an “open” day, fans are left with a clear view of the city of Seattle. The Kingdome still dominated the foreground on my 1999 visit (it was demolished in 2000), but the skyline can clearly be seen, clear back to the Space Needle three or four miles away.

There is a “fun fan” area somewhere, but I really didn’t notice it. It’s hidden away, like it should be, unlike at Turner Field (where it dominates the view) or at the BOB. And there’s also no “throwback” here. Safeco Field is one thing: a great place to watch a baseball game. That’s refreshing.

I did get that “oh, no, I’m inside now” feeling when they closed the dome after the game for exhibition purposes. However, the necessity of a dome notwithstanding, this is the best effort, in my opinion, since Camden Yards.