Seattle Mariners Will Have Major Advantage Heading into Friday Series Opener with Blue Jays
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Given that the Mariners play in an extreme corner of the United States, the travel and scheduling gods are usually working against them.
However, when it comes to Friday night's series opener with the Toronto Blue Jays, they'll actually have the advantage.
Toronto will finish out its series with the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night at 6:38 p.m. PT. The Angels opted for a night game rather than a traditional "getaway day" game, which puts the Jays at an immediate disadvantage of having to travel at night in order to play on Friday night.
However, there's more: John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Calif. does not let planes leave after 10 p.m. PT, meaning the Jays can't fly to Seattle from the airport closest to Angels Stadium. As a result, the team will have to drive to Los Angeles Airport, which adds between 30 minutes and an hour of additional travel time.
So, by the time Toronto gets to Seattle, it will be deep in the middle of the night, certainly not the best situation for playing a Mariners team that currently leads the American League West at 22-14 and has won nine straight series.
Sam Blum of The Athletic had more on these travel issues for teams in a story earlier this year:
While the Angels typically fly out of Long Beach Airport (LGB) or John Wayne Airport (SNA) in Orange County, they’ll likely have to fly from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) after the game, due to 10 p.m. curfew rules at their preferred points of departure.
The Angels getaway game Thursday is at 6:29 p.m., before a flight to MIN.
— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) April 23, 2025
Angels mgmt picked the time. Angels players aren't happy.
6:29 p.m. is the latest minute allowed by the CBA. A day game is standard.
"I don’t think it should be allowed."
Read: https://t.co/ElYNpDwKyV pic.twitter.com/xIDnrk8MHh
The Mariners will certainly not be shedding tears for the Jays, and will look to take advantage of their weariness right from the get-go.
Seattle will send Luis Castillo to the mound while the Jays haven't announced a starter yet.
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