⚾ A season of strangers-turned-friends

For Seattle Mariners fan Rhenda Strub, this baseball season came with an unexpected addition of 30 new friends to the roster.

The 71-year-old Washington resident spent the season inviting strangers to join her at Mariners home games with a spare season ticket, building a community of baseball lovers connected by shared experiences, personal loss, and a little help from America's pastime.

⏪ Let's rewind: Following the death of her 27-year-old son, Wyatt, from muscular dystrophy in 2023, Rhenda spent much of her time alone quilting and watching baseball on TV. Determined to get out of the house and reconnect with others three years into her grief, she purchased two Mariners season tickets earlier this year.

• Rhenda discovered after the purchase, though, that her family couldn't regularly join her. Not wanting to swallow the money for the season pass, Rhenda posted an open invitation on Facebook for strangers to take the extra seat.

📱 And as the internet does, her post went completely viral. Her inbox quickly filled with messages from people who had experienced everything from losing loved ones to difficult breakups, many of whom also loved baseball but lacked someone to attend games with. Before she knew it, every game on the calendar was filled with a new friend to accompany her.

❤️ By the end of September, Rhenda had attended games with ~30 strangers and created a private Facebook group, aptly named "Strangers to Friends," to keep everyone connected.

• One guest traveled all the way from Australia to meet Rhenda, while another flew in from Alaska after losing his father and ending a long-term relationship.
• Another new friend, Sheila Cook, bonded with Rhenda over losing her wife to the same disease that took Wyatt's life.
• When Rhenda was invited to throw out the first pitch after being named the Mariners' Season Ticket Holder of the Year, one of her new friends who formerly taught gym class helped her practice.

One thing she didn't expect was the connections to continue beyond this year's season: she already has multiple tickets set with repeat guests for next year.

🫂 It's all for Wyatt: Rhenda originally hoped going to the games would help her rediscover some joy following her son's death. "[I am] trying to be OK for Wyatt,” she shared. “I know he’s with me. I can feel him all the time. This is a peaceful place where I can connect with him and feel joy.”

"I have made so many friends this summer," she continued to the NYT. "I have friends that will be my friends for the rest of my life."