Last night I attended a Seattle Mariners baseball game since it was Mario Super Sluggers Night. Although it wasn’t a full capacity crowd, 39,518 is nothing to sneeze at. This was probably helped by the fact the opponent for the Mariners were the New York Yankees. The game itself was a treat as the M’s pitcher, Brandon Morrow, nearly threw a no-hitter, which helped in the 3-1 victory.
Before the game, there were many events to be seen on the field. Two kids were competing in the Double Steal competition, but unfortunately I wasn’t able to find the name of the winner.
The Mariners usually give quite a bit to charity and this check for $10,000 to Mariners Care is no exception.
Yet another check to another charity, this time the Make-A-Wish Foundation from Raul Ibanez for the amount of $7,500.
This sweepstakes put these five finalist on the field with wireless keys in front of them. Each one would pick it up and use it to see if the car honked back at them and if so they’d receive the car. The lucky winner was quite happy and rode away in the passenger seat in his new prize.
Finally the event I had come to witness arrived, Mario took the field along with the Moose.
The first pitch was thrown by a young child with Mario being the designated umpire and the Mariner Moose encouraging.
From my view, the pitch looked to go right across the plate and Mario agreed, strike!
Time to strike a pose with Mario and the Moose.
With it being Mario Super Sluggers Night, Nintendo was also giving away the game along with a Wii. The fans they showed up on the screen who won seemed to fit with the new gamers Nintendo is targeting.
There were a few Wii kiosks setup in sections 128 and 338 for attendees to play Mario Super Sluggers on. The crowd was a mixture of all ages, though the majority seemed to be teens at one point.
Mario even felt like getting into the action with a few kids here and there.
Although you can’t tell from this photo, when Mario struck out he was quite upset, which was apparent from the faux stomping and slumping. He was a sport though and kept going even when the competition was fierce.
Afterward, Mario even took the time to sign one of the Mario Super Sluggers baseball cards that were being handed out. The package even came complete with bubble gum!
At the end of the day, even the staff was having a good time showing off the game, hanging out with Mario, and giving away promotional goodies.
The first 20,000 fans received a foam glove:
So look forward to another contest shortly. Also keep an eye out for a brief review of the Nintendo Fan Network that I was able to sample during the game.
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