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SEATTLE—Korean Heritage Night was held during the Sept. 13 Seattle Mariners game versus the Los Angeles Angels. The evening was organized by the Mariners, the Greater Seattle Korean Association (GSKA), The Korea Times, and the Korean Community Service Center of Seattle. Tickets for the Korean Heritage sections completely sold out.

This Korean Heritage Night was unique in that it featured a Mariners-themed T-shirt written in “Hangul” — the Korean written language. The event was such a success that GSKA Vice President Sam Sim said that there are talks of having a Mariners jersey in Hangul for the next heritage night.

“Seattle Mariners Korean Heritage Night was more than just a celebration of Korean culture — it was a vibrant reminder of the cultural diversity that makes our region so special,” Sim said. “It served as a unifying bridge, bringing together people of all backgrounds to share in joy, community and fun beyond any differences. Events like this show the power of sports and culture to connect us all.” 

The Mariners defeated the Angels 5-3, with a standout performance from pitcher Bryan Woo, setting a new career-high of 13 strikeouts in six innings. This win put the Mariners on an eight game win streak and made Woo the first pitcher since Félix Hernández in 2015 to reach 10 wins at T-Mobile Park. While it may happen after other Mariner home games, the crowd was heard consistently yelling “WOOOOO” as they dispersed into the streets of Seattle.

“It’s one of those things you don’t shoot for; it’s the result of doing things the right way, consistently over time,” Woo said. “These types of games just kind of develop themselves after you do it enough. But it was nice to get over the hump after sitting at nine for so long.”

With bases loaded in the fifth inning and after seven consecutive foul balls, Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor blasted a ground ball past both the A’s first and second basemen to bring home two. This hit was the 11th pitch thrown to Naylor and solidified the M’s win, though the Angels put up a fight in the 9th inning.

The evening was also Fan Appreciation Night, with the first 30,000 fans getting a $5 Starbucks gift card. Round-trip tickets to South Korea as well as jerseys and various merchandise — many of it signed — were given out to fans based on randomly-selected seat numbers in-between innings. 

Author: George Ftikas Jr.