Mariners Play for Themed Ticket Benefit

Mariners Play for Themed Ticket Benefit

By Barbara Mizoguchi
NAP Editor

The Seattle Mariners major league baseball team played two games benefitting local Japanese American organizations in Seattle, Washington.

On Japanese Heritage Night, every ticket sold in its reserved seating sections donated $5 to the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Washington (JCCCW).  Ticket holders received a free and exclusive T-shirt with the yellow Mariners logo on the front and the word “Mariners”　written in Japanese. In addition, Uwajimaya, an Asian grocery store, donated nori maki arare (rice crackers with seaweed) snacks and custom-made coupons to each ticketholder.

Crowd in the reserved section of Japanese Heritage Night showing t-shirts given out at the Seattle Mariners game. Photo credit: Japanese Cultural and Community Center.

Every ticket sold in its designated seating sections  also donated $5 to the Seattle Betsuin Buddhist Temple for its arson restoration and building fund.  (For more information, see:  https://seattlebetsuin.com/fire/.)

Enormous crowds entered the stadium, walked up and down the hallways, and attempted to find their aisle entrance. Of course, there was food, (even a few Asian restaurants) and a silent auction of Mariners memorabilia . Once seated, the Jumbotron readerboard had automatic video games to play between innings, a television camera panning the audience, the famous seventh inning stretch and song, the famous “wave” moving amongst the crowd and more. There was even the Mascot Race (running race of various mascots such as the Moose, the Clam [from Ivar’s restaurants], the Sockeye Salmon, Pelican Pete, etc.)

◀︎ Rev. Kusunoki winds up for the ceremonial first pitch at the Seattle Mariners game.
Photo credit: Alex Sakamoto.

JCCCW had an outdoor booth with its vertical banner at the Victory Hall at the Boxyard across the street from the T-Mobile stadium. Massive crowds were eating and drinking outdoors prior to the baseball game with some guests saying they indeed saw the JCCCW booth after they walked in from the entrance.  JCCCW offered raffle tickets for purchase and information about the organization.  Inside the stadium, there were lots of multi-generational fans seated in the JCCCW reserved section with one person purchasing 20 tickets just for their family. Even the Jumbotron featured Japanese Heritage Night and panned across the JCCCW crowd. After the Mariners won the game, fireworks boomed with a variety of festive colors. In the end, 785 tickets equaling $3,925 were sold to help with JCCCW’s cultural and language programs.

The Seattle Betsuin Buddhist Temple sold the minimum 600 tickets for Reverend Katsuya Kusunoki to throw out the first pitch of the game and raised $3,000. Temple members came together to attend — even those from the Northwest District temples and beyond. Many are aware of Kusunoki’s love of baseball that began in the second grade as a student in Nagasaki, Japan, playing as a catcher and shortstop. By the sixth grade, Kusunoki became captain of his baseball team. In middle school, his team made it to the Kyushu (Island in Japan) District Tournament quarterfinals. Kusunoki was also captain of his baseball team in high school and college. By age 22, he travelled to Africa, volunteering, and teaching and coaching baseball to school students and teachers.  He was then asked to coach the Zimbabwe national team.

After returning home, Kusunoki needed to choose baseball or ministry for his future (due to his father being a Japanese Buddhist minister).

His decision brought him to the U.S. as a minister and to further his studies in English.  He also played as baseball catcher for the local Japanese American Citizens League, which won the AA Nisei Baseball Tournament.

Rev. Kusunoki, son Yuiya, and wife Ayano inside the baseball field at home base before the Seattle Mariners game on August 25th. Photo credit: Alex Sakamoto.

After Kusunoki’s appointment to Seattle, he met the Tacoma Betsuin Buddhist Temple’s reverend who was a colleague from college. They re-started the annual baseball game that originally began in the 1930s between Tacoma and Seattle. The Seattle team reclaimed the trophy this year.

Kusunoki signed up his son for Little League and volunteered to be an assistant team coach. Needless to say, Kusunoki, his son and wife are big fans of the Seattle Mariners baseball team. The Mariners also won the game that day.