The Kingdome was completed in March 1976, and in 1977 became the AL's first indoor
stadium as the home of the expansion Mariners. The Kingdome was a standard circular,
domed structure. Its roof was 250' above the field at its highest point, but several
speakers, which were in play, dangled considerably lower and were hit numerous
times by both fair and foul balls. On April 11, 1985, Dave Kingman lost a certain
home run when the ball struck a speaker and was caught for an out. Unlike in the
Astrodome, the ball carried extremely well here, and in 1982 the right-field fence
was raised to 23', at one point the second highest in the ML. The field, of course,
was artificial turf, and the outfield fences were symmetrical. The Kingdome had a baseball capacity of 58,850, and was also home to the NFL's Seattle Seahawks before it was demolished in March 2000. Following the implosion, Seahawks Stadium was built on the site; the new arena opened for football in 2002. (SCL)
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FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY
»April 15, 1991:
Mariners hurler Randy Johnson commits a balk in the 4th inning of a game against Minnesota when the Seattle mascot, Mariner Moose, throws a bag of peanuts onto the Kingdome turf. Johnson will go the distance in the 8-4 victory for his 1st win of the season.
»April 6, 1992: The Seattle Mariners lose to the Texas Rangers, 12–10, on Opening Day, allowing Texas to score nine runs with two outs in the 8th inning. The game draws 55,918 to the Kingdome.
»May 26, 1995: At the Kingdome, Ken Griffey breaks two bones in his left wrist making a spectacular catch against the RF wall. He will miss 73 games but will return to play with a four inch metal plate attached to his wrist.
»October 7, 1995:
The Mariners defeat the Yankees, 11-8, at the Kingdome. Seattle hits 4 HRs in the contest and NY one.
»May 2, 1996: In the 7th inning of the Mariners-Indians game, an earthquake rattles the Kingdome causing the umps to suspend the game. The quake registers 4.8 on the Richter scale. The Tribe leads 6–3 and the game will be completed tomorrow before the start of the Friday night game.