Kingdome Turnout Leaves M’S Home Alone

It’s puzzling to Mike Blowers.

Sure, there was a baseball strike in 1994, and yes, the Kingdome might be the most drab baseball stadium in the majors. But aren’t the Mariners in a pennant race?

Seattle entered Tuesday night’s game against Minnesota averaging 19,898 fans a game in the Kingdome this season. At that rate, Seattle is headed for its worst season in attendance since 1986 (19,482).

“Obviously, we’d like it better if there were more people in the ballpark, but they’re not here,” said Blowers, the Mariners’ third baseman. “What the reason is, I have no idea. Maybe they’re still upset about last year or whatever. I try not to concern myself too much about it, really. I go out and play.”

Major-league attendance has dropped off significantly this season following last year’s baseball strike. The Mariners rank ninth in attendance in the American League and are 17th in the majors.

“Our job is to win ballgames, not to worry about attendance,” Mariners manager Lou Piniella said. “The people who have been coming have been lively.”

If only …

How powerful is Seattle’s lineup?

The Mariners have four batters who could finish with more than 100 RBIs this season. Entering Tuesday night’s game, Edgar Martinez had 105 RBI, Jay Buhner 102, Tino Martinez 97 and Blowers 86.

The major-league record is also the A.L. record. New York had five players do it in 1936.

One must wonder what a healthy Ken Griffey Jr., might have been able to produce. “The thing about it is, this is a shortened season, too,” Piniella said.

The 1995 season will only go 144 games, 18 shy of a normal slate.

Notes

The A.L. record for most players on a team with 30 or more home runs is three, a mark reached by 10 teams, most recently Texas (1993). Buhner hit his 32nd Tuesday. Tino Martinez has 29 and Edgar Martinez 27. Blowers hit his 20th Tuesday, marking the first time the M’s have had four players with 20 or more in a season. The major-league record for players with at least 30 home runs in a year is four, set by the ‘77 Dodgers (Steve Garvey, Ron Cey, Reggie Smith, Dusty Baker).