The Seattle Mariners are on the road until at least the end of the month, and it could be longer if the Kingdome can't be repaired.
As a precaution, the Mariners won't play in the Kingdome until King County officials assure them that ceiling insulation tiles won't fall on fans or players."Obviously, the concern has to be the fans," All-Star pitcher Randy Johnson said.
"This may be the last time I see this locker," closer Bobby Ayala said as he packed up to join his teammates for an unexpected plane trip to Boston.
After four tiles fell from the Kingdome ceiling into the stands in Tuesday afternoon, the Mariners' night game with Baltimore was postponed. King County officials and the Mariners met Wednesday and decided not to take a chance that night.
So a Wednesday afternoon doubleheader with the Orioles was postponed, and American League president Dr. Bobby Brown decided to move the scheduled Boston-Seattle Kingdome series this weekend to Fenway Park.
The Mariners and Red Sox will play Friday at 5:55 p.m. EDT, a doubleheader Saturday at 1:05 p.m. and Sunday at 1:05 p.m.
The Mariners are off Monday. Then they will go to Detroit and Chicago for six games on a scheduled road trip that ends July 31.
The Kingdome problems came at the wrong time for new Mariners' father Mike Blowers. His wife delivered the couple's second child, a girl, last Sunday.
"After what happened yesterday, the ceiling has to be fixed," Blowers said. "It would have been nice to have been here longer, but what are you going to do?"
Ken Griffey Jr., Seattle's five-time All-Star center fielder, tried to take the Kingdome troubles lightly. The Mariners won't need the building much longer, he pointed out.
"We're about to strike anyway," Griffey said.
Alex Rodriguez, Seattle's new 18-year-old shortstop who has played in eight games in the majors, was philosophical about not getting to finish his first homestand in the Kingdome.
He noted the inconvenience came at a time when the Mariners have lost five of six and 10 of 13.
"Maybe it'll be good for us," he said. "Maybe it'll shake up the team. But I really don't care where we play. As long as we get in these games."
Goose Gossage, the Mariners' 43-year-old reliever, said he's seen too much in his long career to get upset over having to leave on a road trip early.
"Sure, I like to spend my time at home, but it's just one of those things that happens," he said.
Mariners fans won't get to see the Boston series live, but they won't be shut out. The team announced all four of the weekend's relocated games will be televised locally.
Kingdome officials called in forensic engineers to try to determine why the tiles fell from the ceiling nearly 180 feet into the stands behind home plate.
No one was hurt, but it forced the first postponement of a sporting event in the dome's 18-year history.
The Mariners wanted to move the Boston series to Cheney Stadium in Tacoma, home of the Class AAA Tacoma Tigers of the Pacific Coast League, or B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Mariners have played exhibition games at B.C. Stadium the past two springs.
But Brown made the final decision to move to Fenway Park because Vancouver and Tacoma are minor-league facilities and Boston is a major-league park.
The Mariners have been trying to sell themselves as a regional franchise.
"We would have liked to have kept it local," Lee Pelekoudas, Seattle's director of baseball administration, said.
There are 80,000 32-by-48-inch tiles in the Kingdome ceiling. County officials are optimistic the unexpected break in the Seattle schedule will be short.
Kingdome spokeswoman Carol Keaton said officials expect to have the building ready for a July 30 American Professional Soccer League game between the Seattle Sounders and the Vancouver 86ers.
The Mariners are scheduled to start a nine-game homestand Aug. 2 against California.
"Hopefully, these problems will be rectified," Pelekoudas said.
The Seattle Seahawks, the Kingdome's other major tenant, are set to play their exhibition opener in Seattle on Aug. 13.
The Seahawks said they have made inquiries with University of Washington to play their Aug. 13 game at Husky Stadium if the Kingdome isn't ready.
The two postponed Baltimore-Seattle games are expected to be made up at the end of the season if they play a part in the division races.