Overview of key events in Seattle: the Mariners start a home series against Arizona, a transportation crunch from shutdowns ahead of the World Cup, and residents erecting homemade barricades to protect against street shootings amid slow official responses.
Seattle Mariners open homestand vs. Arizona Diamondbacks: what to know before the game
The Seattle Mariners, comfortably atop the American League West, are set to begin a new homestand. After an impressive three-game sweep of the Oakland Athletics, the team hopes to keep the momentum going at T-Mobile Park. The first game against the Arizona Diamondbacks — who sit second in the National League West and are riding a five-game winning streak — is Friday, May 29, at 7:10 p.m. PT. Fans who can’t make it to the ballpark can watch live on KING 5; the pregame show starts at 6:30 p.m. Notably, this is the first meeting between the clubs this season, and both sides are eager to prove themselves.
The Mariners have been inconsistent at home — 14 wins and 15 losses — with an overall record of 28-29. The offense has a respectable slugging percentage of .383, seventh-best in the American League. Luke Raley has been a standout recently, leading the team with 11 home runs and an impressive .550 slugging percentage. Julio Rodríguez, the club’s marquee player, is hitting 11-for-41 over his last ten games, including three homers and seven RBIs. Arizona is 13-14 on the road and 31-24 overall; their hitters combine for a .248 average, fifth-best in Major League Baseball. Ketel Marte stands out with 11 doubles, two triples, nine home runs and 32 RBIs while batting .276. Local fans will also be watching Corbin Carroll, a Lakeside High School alum in Seattle, who has been hot in his last ten games: 15-for-41 with a double, four triples and two homers.
On the mound, the probable starters Friday are Zac Gallen (3-4, 4.80 ERA) for the Diamondbacks and George Kirby (5-4, 3.54 ERA) for the Mariners. Kirby, with 55 strikeouts, looks steadier, while Gallen has struggled at times this season. Of course, any game can deliver surprises. KING 5 and the Seattle Mariners have also agreed to broadcast ten regular-season games in 2026 free and over-the-air. Upcoming telecasts include the June 19 game against the Boston Red Sox, July 3 vs. the Toronto Blue Jays, and matchups with the San Francisco Giants, Minnesota Twins, Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago Cubs. In addition to games, KING 5 is launching an exclusive show, "On Deck," airing Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m., giving fans a closer look in the clubhouse and with players. According to the article on king5.com, the game will also stream via DirecTV Stream and Fubo, giving viewers more viewing options.
For context: terms like slugging percentage (SLG) measure a hitter’s overall power by dividing total bases from hits by at-bats. ERA (earned run average) measures a pitcher’s average earned runs allowed per nine innings — the lower, the better. RBI (runs batted in) indicates how often a player’s hit drove in teammates. Understanding these metrics helps assess team strength and identify key players. If the Mariners can contain Carroll, who’s in great form, and leverage their home-field advantage, they have a good chance of snapping Arizona’s streak.
Seattle residents take fight against gunfire into their own hands
Residents of a north Seattle neighborhood, fed up with recurring shootings on nearby streets, took drastic action: they blocked three side streets with large metal planters filled with soil. The move followed a string of shootings, one of which sent a bullet through the wall of a child’s bedroom where an infant was sleeping. City officials reacted quickly — Mayor Bruce Harrell’s successor, Mayor Katie Wilson (note: original named in Russian as Katie Wilson), ordered the transportation department to replace the homemade barriers with temporary traffic-calming devices, and two city council members set out to draft a bill that would officially permit street closures at the police chief’s recommendation to prevent violence. The episode revealed a deep rift between residents’ desperation and the official response, with people feeling their safety is no longer assured.
The story began with an anonymous note left near the barricades, saying residents "had no other choice" after city officials failed to close two side streets after last year’s shooting. The unauthorized action divided the community: some praised the neighbors’ courage, while others worried the barriers could block emergency vehicles — police, ambulances and fire trucks. By Thursday, part of the structures had been broken and moved, underscoring the controversial nature of the tactic.
The bill being drafted by councilmembers Deborah Juarez and Eddie Lin would, in effect, revive an idea floated in October by former Mayor Bruce Harrell that never advanced. If passed, the transportation director would have the authority to close not just alleys (the current limit) but full streets — but only after a written recommendation by the police chief. Juarez said residents concerned about shootings should contact the police or their district representative rather than set up barricades, since impromptu barriers risk blocking emergency access. Historically, Seattle residents have used soil-filled planters primarily to prevent van parking; now the tactic is being used to block streets to protect lives.
The issue is particularly acute along the so-called Aurora corridor, which has long been associated with prostitution and related crime. Seattle Police Department data show seven shooting calls between 85th and 115th avenues from January through the end of April, and eight more in the first weeks of May. A May 16 shooting left bullet holes in the home of a young father named Jake (he asked to be identified only by his first name). A bullet passed through the wall of his child’s bedroom where his baby was sleeping. Jake told reporters the makeshift barricades gave him a sense of safety he’d lacked for months and that, for the first time in a long while, there had been no shootings in the neighborhood. He called the mayor’s decision to remove the planters and replace them with "temporary measures" “totally inadequate,” saying only full street closures, not traffic calming, could prevent further attacks. "I’m afraid again that the next bullet will hit my house or my neighbor’s," he said.
The complication is that the bill, while appearing logical, has not yet been brought before the city council’s public safety committee. Sponsor Deborah Juarez says work is being done "urgently," but there are no firm timelines. Meanwhile, the mayor’s office pledged to boost nighttime police patrols along Aurora and deploy a special unit to reduce gun violence. Still, the incident highlighted that when official channels move slowly and bullets are landing in children’s rooms, residents are willing to break laws to protect themselves. More on officials’ response is available in the original Seattle Times article.
Busy weekend in Seattle: highway and light-rail closures ahead of "soccer summer"
This coming weekend, Seattle residents and visitors should expect a transportation squeeze: four major closures will affect both highways and light rail. Contractors are rushing to finish work before the start of "soccer summer," when most road work pauses in mid-June due to FIFA Men’s World Cup matches. Congestion is expected to stretch for miles, especially southbound on I-405 in Kirkland. That stretch will be closed from 11 p.m. Friday, May 30, until 4 a.m. Monday, June 1. Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) says crews will literally "cut" the freeway to install a tunnel for fish passage. These works are part of a large project to build a three-level interchange at Northeast 85th Street, scheduled for completion by the end of 2027. The interchange will serve toll-lane drivers and a future Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line operated by Sound Transit.
Light-rail riders will also face disruptions. On Saturday and Sunday, Light Rail service will be fully suspended downtown. Riders will need to use shuttle buses between Capitol Hill and Stadium stations on the Red Line (1 Line), and between South Bellevue and International District/Chinatown on the Orange Line (2 Line). Sound Transit spokesperson Henry Bendon said crews will replace a recently discovered cracked rail near Westlake station to reduce the risk of sudden service interruptions during the FIFA Men’s World Cup when hundreds of thousands of fans will pass through the city. In addition to the rail replacement, a protective platform will be installed over the lake to prevent worker falls, fencing will be widened and additional power-system elements will be installed.
Drivers should also prepare for an eastbound closure on State Route 520 between I-5 and Montlake Boulevard. The highway will close at 11 p.m. Friday and reopen at 5 a.m. Monday while WSDOT shifts an on-ramp at Montlake to make room for construction of a new bridge across Portage Bay. From the east side of Montlake only the central carpool ramp to the floating bridge will be open; the general-purpose ramp will be closed. Additionally, a busy interchange in Snoqualmie connecting westbound I-90 to westbound State Route 18 will be closed from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday for paving. Detours will use alternate exits, and a lesser-used movement from east SR-18 to west I-90 will also be closed.
Meanwhile, work continues to repave the two northbound lanes of the Ship Canal bridge on I-5; express lanes will operate northbound only during this period. Next week, from late evening June 5 to the morning of June 8, conditions will become even tighter: the main northbound I-5 lanes will be fully closed from I-90 to Northeast 45th Street to stage construction equipment. After that, all I-5 lanes will be open for the World Cup. As reported by The Seattle Times, construction on the west side of the state will be minimized for five weeks through July 11. Remember, Seattle is scheduled to host six tournament matches, with seven more in nearby Vancouver, British Columbia.
The key takeaway for anyone traveling around Seattle this weekend: expect major delays, and plan for public-transit detours and shuttle transfers. These temporary disruptions are the price of long-term infrastructure projects — like the three-level interchange and the new bridge — and the city’s preparations to host the world’s largest sporting event.
