Seattle’s LGBTQ community members say they hope that this Friday’s World Cup “Pride Match” between Egypt and Iran, two countries where homosexuality is criminalized, can be an opportunity to change minds.
Seattle, WA
Seattle Mariners the 'team to beat' in AL West? Why that's the case
It’s mid-May and the Seattle Mariners are doing something they’ve rarely done at this point of the season: lead the American League West.
Drayer: Rojas helping Julio an example of Seattle Mariners’ offense evolving
The Mariners are 24-20, have won eight of their past nine series and hold a 1 1/2 game lead for the division over the reigning World Series champion Texas Rangers. Meanwhile, the rest of the AL West is well below .500.
MLB Network insider Jon Morosi joined Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob Wednesday for a conversation about the Mariners and said he feels better about Seattle in 2024 than he has any other recent Mariners team.
“Yes, there’s what your record looks like, winning ball games, but it’s how they’re winning them” Morosi said. “(Wednesday’s 4-2 win over the Kansas City Royals) was a low-scoring game in the series finale that determined who’s going to win the series. They found a way to win. They’re now finding ways to win.”
Seattle Mariners’ offense is different than last year
The early-season struggles that have seemingly followed the Mariners’ offense from year to year certainly haven’t faded away. In April, the Mariners were among the worst offenses in MLB. Some of that could be attributed to ballpark factors. T-Mobile Park is consistently one of the least hitter-friendly stadiums in the league, and the cold weather and dreaded marine layer only amplify that in the early months.
The offense has found a new gear in May, though. Seattle isn’t putting together numbers that rival an offensive power like the Los Angeles Dodgers, but it’s been adequate for a team built on pitching. The Mariners are tied for second in the American League in home runs (19), tied for third in wRC+ (113) and are eighth in runs scored in May.
Morosi pointed to left-handed bats Josh Rojas and Luke Raley bringing more balance to Seattle’s lineup. The pair have been among team’s best hitters and have put up some torrid stretches to bolster the offense. Rojas is batting a team-high .330 and getting on base at .395 clip, and Raley has been at the front of May’s offensive improvements, slashing .375/.444/.688 with three home runs in 11 games this month.
As Mariners’ Luke Raley heats up, he’s becoming a coach favorite
“Rojas arrived at the (trade) deadline last year, but this really felt like a 2024 type of addition. Then they bring in (Luke) Raley,” Morosi said. “So two lefty bats that I think have really given this team the balance that they needed so desperately. I think it was difficult for them to move on from (Eugenio) Suárez after last year. He’s so popular. Teoscar (Hernández) as well, but we saw late last season how susceptible this team was to quality right-handed pitching.
“They’re not going to necessarily put up 15 runs a game and be this offensive juggernaut like the Dodgers or even the Yankees are, but they put together better at bats top to bottom (than last year).”
Best in the West
Another reason for Morosi’s confidence in the Mariners is what’s going on around them in the AL West. The Rangers had lost five straight before snapping their skid Wednesday, and they’re still awaiting the return of ace Jacob deGrom and veteran starter Max Scherzer. The Astros, meanwhile, are off to a troubling start.
Texas had hoped Scherzer, who had offseason back surgery to repair a herniated disk, could be back by now after beginning a rehab assignment April 24, but he won’t return until at least late May after being moved to the 60-day injured list Wednesday. Two-time Cy Young Award winner deGrom is still working his way back from last year’s Tommy John surgery. The Rangers are hoping he returns late this season.
Houston entered Thursday in fourth place in the AL West at 18-25 and has been plagued by injuries to its struggling pitching staff. Justin Verlander, Framber Valdez and Cristian Javier have all spent time on the IL this season, and breakout starter Ronel Blanco was recently suspended 10 games after a foreign substance was found on his glove. Meanwhile, high-leverage relievers Josh Hader, Ryan Pressly and Bryan Abreu have had their share of struggles closing out games.
“There’s no question that the context of your division and the competitive structure of your league determines how you view this team,” Morosi said of the Mariners, “and right now they are the best team in this division, both in terms of playing in first place and just the way they’re playing on the field.
“They are the best team. They are the team to beat in the American League West, full stop.”
Room for improvement
Another reason Morosi is so bullish on the Mariners is that they’re four games above .500 and leading their division without playing their best baseball.
That starts with what’s happened with the top of the order. Seattle is still waiting for star center fielder Julio Rodríguez, who typically hits second in the lineup, to find consistency at the plate, and leadoff hitter J.P. Crawford started slow before an injury that’s kept him out for the past three weeks.
Is expected return of Mariners’ J.P. Crawford now in doubt?
“If you were to tell me that the J.P. (Crawford) would miss time due to injury and Julio would have the numbers that he has right now, I would have said, ‘Oh man, we got problems,” Morosi said. “And yet we don’t because of where they’re standing right now.”
Additionally, the Mariners haven’t yet gotten what they’ve expected out of offseason additions Mitch Garver and Jorge Polanco, which adds two more proven players that could help the offense continue to trend upwards.
“There’s a rhythm to this team that we didn’t see all the time last year, even in what was a pretty good season,” Morosi said. “And honestly, they’re probably more consistent there than they were even in 2022. So you pair that up with a really good rotation and bullpen … I think overall this is as solid of a ballclub as they’ve had in a very long time.”
Listen to the full conversation with MLB Network insider Jon Morosi at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Wyman and Bob weekdays from 2-6 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
More on the Seattle Mariners
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SEATTLE — Seattle police are investigating a shooting that left a 17-year-old boy injured early Thursday morning in the High Point neighborhood.
At about 12:48 a.m., dispatchers received multiple reports of rapid gunfire near Sylvan Way Southwest and Southwest Morgan Street.
Officers arrived and found a 17-year-old boy suffering from a gunshot wound to the hip area. Medics transported the teen to Harborview Medical Center in serious but stable condition.
Before officers located the victim, they found a car that had crashed and become disabled near Sylvan Way Southwest and Delridge Way Southwest. Police said multiple suspects were seen running from the vehicle through a nearby Home Depot parking lot.
Officers cordoned off the area and searched for the suspects with assistance from the K-9 Unit, but were unable to locate them. Police recovered the vehicle and impounded it for processing.
During the incident, gunfire struck at least three vehicles and two buildings. No other injuries were reported.
Officers processed multiple nearby scenes and recovered evidence before clearing the area. Detectives with the Gun Violence Reduction Unit will lead the investigation.
Seattle, WA
Council eyes street barricades in fight against violence, sex trafficking in north Seattle
SEATTLE — The Seattle City Council is expected to vote next week on a plan that would give the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) the authority to close off street access for public safety reasons.
The proposal comes after months of outcry from residents in north Seattle who say sex traffickers and sex buyers are looping through the streets surrounding Aurora Avenue North.
The street-closure proposal passed the council’s Public Safety Committee on Tuesday and is expected to be voted on by the full council next week.
“I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say the crime has gotten much worse, much more violent, and much more predator,” said District 5 councilmember Debora Juarez. “I think that we do have the authority to shut down a street for bullets flying and endangering the lives of those who live there.”
Frustrated neighbors have installed their own homemade barricades after a spate of gun violence between sex traffickers in May.
RELATED | SDOT removes street barricades near Aurora Ave; neighbors doubtful of temporary measures
Councilmember Bob Kettle says street closures will help tamp down sex buying in certain areas, but he emphasizes it must be accompanied by an increase in outreach and enforcement.
“We have to have a sustained effort,” Kettle told KOMO News. “My concern is for every action, there’s a reaction. We need to take this flex and then really attack it … because if we do just a bit and our attention wanders, we could have this conversation three months from now and we’re talking about the same thing.”
A 15-year-old boy was shot near 95th Street and Aurora Avenue North around 10:45 p.m. last night. The teen initially claimed he had been shot while walking down the street, but investigators now say he was shot by a passenger in his car.
RELATED | Seattle police say ‘drive-by’ on Aurora Ave. was actually passenger shooting teen driver
Kettle credited the city’s Real Time Crime Center cameras with helping investigators quickly piece together the events of the shooting.
“Just as important to finding out what happened, the cameras help police determine what did not happen,” Kettle said.
According to Seattle police data, reports of shootings and shots fired in the north precinct area are at their lowest levels since 2021.
Through the end of May, there were 48 total reports of shootings or shots fired, with one fatal shooting and seven nonfatal injury shootings.
That’s down from 63 total reports of shootings and shots fired – one fatal and seven injuries – in 2025; and 64 shootings or shots fired reports – one fatal and 17 injuries – in 2024.
At Tuesday’s committee meeting, councilmembers pointed out residents are calling for a new police precinct to be built on Aurora Avenue.
Ten years ago, a new North Precinct building was slated to be built at 130th Avenue and Aurora Avenue North to replace the existing precinct building, which was decades old and did not have enough space for the department’s needs.
Led by former councilmember Kshama Sawant, the “Block the Bunker” movement successfully got the North Precinct replacement project killed in city council.
Kettle said the city’s current financial issues make it essentially impossible to bring back a project similar to the one the previous council defeated.
“We have to connect the dots back,” Kettle said. “If we want to know why we are where we are today, we have to look at decisions made over the last two councils.”
Seattle, WA
Iran and Egypt to play in Seattle ‘Pride Match’ despite earlier complaints | The Jerusalem Post
Seattle revels in its reputation as a welcoming place and Pride flags are visible all over the city, all year round. Its June Pride weekend is one of the biggest in the United States.
So, ahead of December’s World Cup draw, it was only natural that local organizers designated the June 26 match to be held in the city as a “Pride Match.”
Then the draw happened — and the two teams scheduled to play the game were Egypt and Iran.
Egypt’s Football Association urged global soccer governing body FIFA to prevent any Pride-related activities, arguing such events clashed with the Muslim-majority country’s cultural and religious values. The governing body in Iran, where same-sex relations can carry the death penalty, filed an objection with FIFA.
Some in Seattle have doubts over the teams in the ‘Pride Match’
But in Seattle, there is no question that the Pride Match will go ahead as planned.
“The World Cup is going to come and go in three weeks,” Hedda McLendon, from Seattle’s local World Cup organizing committee, told Reuters. “The Pride celebration … has happened on this weekend for 50-plus years.
“It is going to happen this weekend, it is going to happen long after the World Cup.”
Some in the city’s LGBTQ community had mixed feelings given the participants, said Jon Cairns, 49, manager of local LGBTQ+ club Kremwerk.
Cairns, however, said his own view was that it provided a platform to promote acceptance that only the world’s biggest sporting event could offer.
“My reaction is let’s have them,” he told Reuters. “International sports is one of the biggest brokers historically of social change and individual rights and freedoms worldwide, including in the U.S.”
He cited black U.S. sprinter Jesse Owens’ four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games in Nazi Germany and Tommie Smith and John Carlos’ raised-fist protest in 1968 as moments where “only international sports could reach that big of an audience.”
“They’re not going to turn off the World Cup on state television in Iran or Egypt to block out a Pride flag in the audience,” Cairns said.
The Pride Match is “a host city initiative” and separate of FIFA, a spokesperson for soccer’s governing body told Reuters.
Seattle’s LGBTQ community sees an opportunity
Egypt and Iran’s involvement in the Pride Match is not the first time the World Cup has grappled with stark differences in attitudes between hosts and visitors.
In 2022 World Cup host Qatar, the emir said visitors should “respect our culture” when asked about gay people attending the tournament.
FIFA threatened yellow cards for captains wearing the “OneLove” armband, citing its rules against political slogans. Teams including England and the Netherlands that had been planning to wear the armbands to protest Qatar’s laws against same-sex relationships abandoned the plan.
For Ryan Webster, a 40-year-old lifestyle manager who was at Kremwerk the weekend before Pride, Seattle’s “Pride Match” was an opportunity to show solidarity with people in countries where their sexuality was outlawed.
“I’m choosing to believe that this is our moment to allow the members of the LGBTQ community that come from those countries to have the opportunity to celebrate themselves in totality that they might not have otherwise,” he said outside the club, which will host a watch party for Friday’s game.
Inside, ‘Venus Fengz’ lip-synced to Cher’s “Believe” before introducing fellow drag performers to the stage, clapped and cheered by a raucous crowd.
Fengz, who only wanted to provide their stage name, said Pride coinciding with the World Cup would bring increased visibility, anticipating perhaps some new audience members.
“I think it’s always great for us to be able to share space and share places with people who don’t have the same experiences as us,” they told Reuters.
“Sometimes you just have to be the bigger person and show grace where you can and know that everyone is a human learning (from) different experiences, but also it can get hard — because you’re on the shorter end of the stick, always trying to have to explain yourself around people who don’t grow up with the same worldview.”
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