The Seattle Mariners announced today that their game on Saturday, April 30 versus the Kansas City Royals will now start at 7:10 pm. The game was originally scheduled to begin at 6:10 pm.

“We have a crowd of approximately 40,000 expected on Saturday night, and with the viaduct being closed and the Sounders expecting a large crowd for their 1 pm game on Saturday, we felt it was in the best interest of our fans to have as much separation as possible between the two events,” said Joe Myhra, Vice President of Ballpark Operations.

“The streets and sidewalks will be crowded. Soccer fans will need to disperse, parking spaces need to be opened up and a number of streets and lanes will have to reverse from outgoing to incoming before our fans can reach the stadium district,” said Mariners President and COO Kevin Mather. “We thought it best to give our fans another hour to arrive and let the area open up a little, rather than forcing our fans into a gridlock situation. This time change will assist the police and traffic control officers.”

The Mariners expect a substantial number of fans will arrive early to see the defending World Champion Kansas City Royals, and lines will possibly extend out into the sidewalks. In addition, Saturday night is Nelson Cruz “Boomstick” Bobblehead Night, presented by ROOT Sports for the first 20,000 fans.

Saturday is the fifth day of a six-game homestand featuring the Houston Astros (Monday — Wednesday April 25–27) and Royals (Friday — Sunday, April 29-May 1). Tickets remain for all six games on the homestand. Please see www.mariners.com/tickets for ticket information.