Because of U2 -- who, if you try hard enough, can be blamed for most of what has happened for the past 25 years or so -- the Marlins/Mariners series, originally scheduled for Sun Life Stadium in Miami this weekend is being played in Seattle. But, as was the case when the Blue Jays/Phillies got moved to Citizens Bank Park last year, the out-of-town team will be the home team.
And heck, maybe the Mariners will feel more like the road team anyway. This series was supposed to be part of an east coast swing for them, so their travel schedule breaks down like this: Philly, Washington, and then back to Seattle to face the Marlins and Braves. The Marlins’ travel plans are less jerky. They were at home in this last series against Anaheim, but they were going to be heading out west to face Oakland in the series that starts on Tuesday anyway. With their day off yesterday -- which the Mariners didn’t get -- their travel was much less taxing.
Still, I don’t know that it’s enough of a handicap to make up for the fact that Marlins have to play a “home” series several thousand miles from home. In order to even things up more, I believe that the Mariners players should have to stay in a hotel in downtown Seattle, while the Marlins get free run of the Mariners’ players’ homes, cars and whatnot.*
*The whatnot is negotiable on a family by family basis and really is none of our business.