Brett Lawrie’s early games with the Toronto Blue Jays are helping benefit the Seattle Mariners at the box office.
The Blue Jays and Mariners played a three-game series from Monday to Wednesday in Seattle. Many Langley residents made the trek to Safeco Field to see Lawrie, the 21-year-old Langley sensation, play. And he didn’t disappoint.
In the first two games, the former Langley Blaze player had four hits, two RBIs and scored three runs.
One hit on Tuesday in the first inning brought in a run and helped the Blue Jays get off to a 6-0 start before the Mariners had even stepped up to the plate. They won that game 13-7.
On Monday, he hit a home run. The Blue Jays had been ahead in that game, but eventually lost 6-5.
Lawrie’s parents, grandfather, other relatives, former teammates and many friends made the trip south to see him. Attendance at Monday’s game, which is traditionally one of the quietest days at the gate each week, was more than 28,000. This was more than double the number of fans who saw the Blue Jays when they visited Seattle earlier this season.
Seattle players complained that there seemed to be more fans cheering for Toronto than the home team, after the first game.
Lawrie hit .500 in his first two games in Seattle. In his first 11 games as a Blue Jay, he had seven runs, 15 hits (including three doubles and three home runs) and nine RBIs. His batting average was .385 and his on-base percentage was .429.
The Blue Jays will not be back in Seattle until next season.