Mariners players angry after team store starts selling Blue Jays gear
The Toronto Blue Jays and their fans may be excited for this weekend's road trip to Seattle, but members of the Mariners don't seem too happy about it.
On Monday, Twitter user Mariner Muse posted a photo of an entire rack of Blue Jays merchandise for sale at T-Mobile Park, five days before the Canadian club and its supporters are due to arrive in Seattle.
The sight of an opponent's gear being sold so prominently quickly went viral. It also caught the eyes of Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford and reliever Paul Sewald, who expressed their displeasure at the decision.
What the hell is this @MarinersStore 🤬 https://t.co/xtTre6lQ2g
— Paul Sewald (@ItsPaulSewald) July 18, 2023
Damn smh 🤦🏽♂️ https://t.co/JBLOM8I1Sa
— jp crawford (@jp_crawford) July 18, 2023
The Mariners store may have heard player complaints. Another Twitter user posted photos from the store on Tuesday that appeared to show the Blue Jays merchandise no longer for sale.
Mariners team store. 4 hours ago vs 5 minutes. It’s gone pic.twitter.com/LMt9BGDTmx
— Dave “Softy” Mahler (@Softykjr) July 19, 2023
The Mariners later explained that the merchandise was on sale for reasons unrelated to the Blue Jays' upcoming visit.
"Following the All-Star Game (in Seattle) we had a limited amount of leftover merchandise from different (mostly AL) teams," a Mariners spokesperson said in a statement to Miles Schachner of the New York Post. "The Blue Jays merchandise in question has now been removed from the team store."
Despite playing over 2,000 miles (or 3,000 kilometers) apart, the Blue Jays and Mariners have developed a bit of a rivalry recently. Blue Jays fans from Canada's western provinces have constantly drawn the ire of Mariners supporters by descending on Seattle to root on their team, turning T-Mobile Park into something of a second home field for Toronto.
That pattern will likely continue this weekend, as the Mariners announced Tuesday that the Blue Jays series is almost fully sold out.
However, the Mariners and their fans currently have bragging rights. Seattle stunned the Blue Jays last October by sweeping them out of the playoffs with a seven-run comeback in Game 2 of their AL wild-card series at Rogers Centre.
Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. may have added even more fuel to the fire for this weekend during last week's All-Star festivities. Guerrero not only won the Home Run Derby in Seattle, but eliminated Mariners superstar Julio Rodriguez in the semifinals.