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Category: Everett AquaSox

High-A baseball at Funko Field

  • Bryce Miller Threw 3 Scoreless With 6 Strikeouts: AquaSox Walked Off Spokane 2-1 to Cap His Rehab

    Bryce Miller Threw 3 Scoreless With 6 Strikeouts: AquaSox Walked Off Spokane 2-1 to Cap His Rehab

    How did Bryce Miller’s AquaSox rehab start go? Mariners right-hander Bryce Miller threw 3 scoreless innings on Friday, April 24, 2026, at Funko Field, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out six on 47 pitches (35 strikes). The AquaSox then walked off the Spokane Indians 2-1 on an Axel Sanchez sacrifice fly to cap Miller’s two-start minor-league rehab assignment.

    Bryce Miller Walked Out of Funko Field With Six Strikeouts. The AquaSox Walked Off Spokane 2-1.

    Friday night at Funko Field had the kind of energy you only get when a Mariners big-leaguer is on the mound for the AquaSox. Bryce Miller — recovering from oblique inflammation that cost him spring training — made his second and final minor-league rehab outing, and he pitched like a guy who’s about to be back at T-Mobile Park: three scoreless, six punchies, 47 pitches, 35 strikes. Then the Frogs went out and walked it off 2-1 against the Spokane Indians on an Axel Sanchez sac fly. Fireworks Friday delivered the rare combination of major-league rehab work, a tense one-run nightcap, and an actual walk-off in front of a sellout-energy Funko crowd.

    The Bryce Miller Line

    Miller did exactly what a healthy 27-year-old big-league starter on rehab is supposed to do at High-A: he was too good for the league. Three innings, one hit, one walk, six strikeouts, no runs. Through the first two innings he didn’t allow a single baserunner. The one moment of trouble came in the third when he had two runners in scoring position with two outs — and he punched out Indians first baseman Kevin Fitzer on four pitches to escape it. That’s the kind of inning that tells the Mariners’ player development staff everything they needed to see.

    Compare that to his first rehab outing the week before in Tacoma — 1.2 innings, four hits, three runs, two strikeouts, one walk on 33 pitches. Friday at Funko was a clear escalation: more pitches, more strikes, more strikeouts, no damage. Two scoreless innings to start, a tough spot navigated cleanly, and a clean exit. The Mariners now have to decide whether Miller is ready for a Triple-A finishing touch in Tacoma or whether he goes straight back to the big-league rotation.

    The Walk-Off

    The AquaSox didn’t waste Miller’s start. Locked in a 1-1 game late, Everett got runners moving in the bottom of the inning that mattered, and Axel Sanchez delivered the sacrifice fly to center field that ended it. Final: AquaSox 2, Spokane 1. Sixth straight loss for the Indians, which tells you Spokane’s not having a great early-season trip through the Northwest League — but Friday wasn’t about Spokane. It was about a homegrown Mariners arm in front of an Everett crowd, and a Frogs roster that keeps finding ways to win one-run games.

    That’s three straight wins now for Everett, on the heels of the Carlos Jimenez 6-RBI Thursday-night blowout. The Frogs are still climbing toward .500 territory but the run differential is back in the green and the offense is finally chaining at-bats together. Saturday and Sunday wrap the homestand against Spokane — Saturday at 7:05 PM and Sunday at 1:05 PM at Funko Field — and the Frogs have a real chance to take five of six in the series before they head out on the road.

    Prospect Watch

    Friday wasn’t just a Bryce Miller showcase — it was also a chance for the AquaSox prospects to share a clubhouse with a guy who’s already done it. The fan-eye view from Funko Field this week:

    Carlos Jimenez — 6 RBI on Thursday is the kind of night that pulls scouts. Power-and-RBI profile is what the system needs after the Lazaro Montes promotion conversation cooled off.

    Axel Sanchez — Walk-off sac fly Friday. Not a stat-line player but a guy who keeps showing up in late-game spots. The kind of A-ball at-bat that grades up scouting reports.

    The pitching staff behind Miller — Whoever gets handed the ball after a big-league rehab outing has to keep the lead. Friday’s bullpen got the result. That’s a quiet thing, but it matters when you’re tracking who’s developing.

    What’s Next for Bryce Miller

    Two rehab starts down. The natural next step is either a Triple-A Tacoma tune-up or activation off the IL and back into the Mariners rotation. Friday’s outing makes the case for the latter — three scoreless against pro hitters, six strikeouts, fastball back where it needs to be after his April 18 Tacoma outing reportedly clocked at 98+. The Mariners haven’t said publicly which way they’re leaning. Either way, his time at Funko Field this spring is done, and the AquaSox roster goes back to being all about the prospects.

    Saturday and Sunday at Funko Field

    The homestand wraps with Saturday’s 7:05 PM game and Sunday’s 1:05 PM matinee. If you missed Friday, those are the last two chances to see this Spokane series at Funko before the AquaSox hit the road. Tickets are still available through milb.com/everett. Funko Field on a sunny April Sunday afternoon is one of the better cheap-date afternoons in Snohomish County.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What was Bryce Miller’s line in his April 24 AquaSox rehab start?

    3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K on 47 pitches (35 strikes). It was Miller’s second and final minor-league rehab start.

    What was the final score of Friday’s AquaSox game?

    Everett AquaSox 2, Spokane Indians 1, walk-off win at Funko Field on April 24, 2026, on an Axel Sanchez sacrifice fly.

    Why was Bryce Miller pitching for the AquaSox?

    Miller is a Mariners right-handed starter rehabbing oblique inflammation that sidelined him in spring training. The AquaSox start was the second outing of his minor-league rehab assignment after a brief Triple-A Tacoma appearance the week before.

    When are the next AquaSox home games?

    Saturday April 25 at 7:05 PM and Sunday April 26 at 1:05 PM at Funko Field, closing the homestand against Spokane.

    Will Bryce Miller pitch for the AquaSox again this season?

    Friday was Miller’s final rehab outing with Everett. His next appearance will likely be either Triple-A Tacoma or back with the Mariners, depending on the team’s decision on activation.

    Where do the AquaSox play and where can I get tickets?

    The AquaSox play at Funko Field in Everett (formerly Everett Memorial Stadium). Tickets are available at milb.com/everett.

  • Everett’s $10.6M Stadium Design Vote Is Wednesday: What April 29 Means for the AquaSox and USL Soccer’s Future Here

    Everett’s $10.6M Stadium Design Vote Is Wednesday: What April 29 Means for the AquaSox and USL Soccer’s Future Here

    What’s at stake: On Wednesday, April 29 at 12:30 PM, Everett City Council will vote on whether to approve another $10.6 million for the downtown Outdoor Event Center — the future home of the AquaSox and two new United Soccer League teams (men’s and women’s). The vote covers $5.6M for property acquisition and $4.8M in contractor amendments. If approved, design hits 100% complete and the path opens toward a possible August project go-ahead vote, ground-breaking in September, and a late-2027 opening. If it doesn’t pass cleanly, the timeline starts to wobble.

    If you care about the AquaSox staying in Everett — and the city’s two incoming USL professional soccer teams actually having a place to play — Wednesday afternoon’s council vote matters more than any single game on the schedule this spring.

    Everett City Council is set to vote April 29 on a package of four items tied to the future Outdoor Event Center: an additional $10.6 million in spending, contract amendments with four project contractors worth $4.8 million, acceptance of a $7.4 million state Department of Commerce grant, and the addition of one more land parcel to the project’s acquisition list.

    The fan-perspective version of all that procedural language: Everett is one council vote away from finishing the design phase of a stadium that determines whether minor-league baseball stays here and whether professional soccer ever gets here at all.

    What the $10.6 Million Actually Buys

    The breakdown, per City of Everett project documents and reporting from the Snohomish County Tribune and HeraldNet:

    About $5.6 million is allocated to the costs of acquiring the properties needed to clear the stadium block — bounded by Hewitt Avenue, Pacific Avenue, Broadway, and the railroad tracks, one block east of Angel of the Winds Arena.

    About $4.8 million is for contract amendments with the four firms working on stadium design and pre-construction.

    The funding mechanism is an interfund loan — Everett borrows the money from its own general fund balance, then issues municipal bond debt to repay the loan. Long-term bonds backed against city tax revenues handle repayment. This is a way to move quickly on cash flow without holding up design while waiting for outside grants and bond markets.

    Counting earlier spending, the city has already invested about $7.2 million in capital funds into the project since site selection in late 2024. That money has gone toward environmental studies, conceptual design, and putting properties under purchase-and-sale agreements.

    The Real Number You Should Know

    The total project cost is now estimated at $120 million, up from the $82 million estimate the city used when it asked for $4.8 million in funding back in June 2025.

    The funding stack so far: roughly $17 million committed by the AquaSox and incoming USL ownership groups in exchange for 30-year leases (with operations and maintenance handled on-site and ticket and parking revenue shared with the city); $30+ million from other bonds repaid through lease and ticket revenue; and roughly 21% of the funding pie that, as of last week’s council presentation, is not yet identified.

    That 21% gap is the one to watch. City project staff said they intend to return to council in summer with more financial models, with possible sources including state, regional, and private dollars. “We are pursuing all possible options,” the project representative told the council.

    Why This Matters for the AquaSox

    Major League Baseball changed minor-league facility requirements in 2021. Funko Field, which has been the AquaSox’s home for decades, doesn’t meet the new standards. If Everett doesn’t build a compliant stadium, the AquaSox lose their MLB affiliation. They go away. The economic, cultural, and identity hit to the city would be real.

    Mayor Cassie Franklin has called the project a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” prompted by the league’s facility-standard changes. She framed Everett’s decision to put the stadium downtown — in late 2024 — as the city already making “tangible progress.” Wednesday’s vote keeps that progress moving.

    Why This Matters for USL Soccer

    The Outdoor Event Center is being designed as a true dual-purpose venue: artificial turf, the ability to convert the field between baseball and soccer in the span of a few hours, soccer played on the diamond’s infield, and a retractable mound. The plan calls for hosting two USL teams — a men’s team in either USL Championship or USL League One, and a women’s team in the USL Super League.

    This is why we don’t yet have team names, colors, kits, or a confirmed league level. Without an approved stadium plan, USL won’t finalize franchise placement. Without USL franchise placement, the city can’t fully market what the soccer side will look like. Wednesday’s vote moves the design from 60% complete (where it sits today) to 100% — and that opens the door for the August funding decision and the broader project go-ahead.

    The USL teams won’t be playing in 2026. The current target is a late-2027 opening, which means a 2028 inaugural season at the earliest. But every step on the design timeline is a step closer to seeing professional soccer in Everett.

    The Take

    This stadium project has been criticized — fairly — for cost growth. $82 million in June 2025 to $120 million today is a real escalation, and the 21% unidentified funding share is a legitimate concern.

    But the alternative — losing the AquaSox, losing the chance at USL, leaving the downtown stadium block as a parking lot — is worse. The downtown location is a significantly better long-term play than rebuilding at the existing Funko Field site. The dual-purpose design that makes baseball and soccer both work in one venue is genuinely innovative for a city Everett’s size. And the public-park amenities and walking loop in the design plan turn what could be a single-use box into a downtown asset that serves the city year-round.

    The April 29 vote isn’t the final yes. It’s the vote that lets the project finish its homework before the bigger August decision on the full project. If Everett wants to be a city where minor-league baseball thrives, professional soccer arrives, and the downtown stadium becomes the anchor of a real entertainment district next to Angel of the Winds Arena — Wednesday afternoon matters.

    How to Weigh In

    The City Council meeting is Wednesday, April 29 at 12:30 PM at 3002 Wetmore Avenue. Public comment is part of the council process for items like this. If you have a take — for or against — that’s the room and that’s the meeting where it lands.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What is the Everett Outdoor Event Center?
    A planned 5,000-seat dual-purpose stadium in downtown Everett that will host the AquaSox baseball team and two new United Soccer League teams (one men’s, one women’s). It also includes an urban park and walking loop.

    When is the city council vote on the additional funding?
    Wednesday, April 29, 2026 at 12:30 PM at Everett City Hall (3002 Wetmore Avenue). The council will vote on four items tied to the project.

    How much will the stadium cost in total?
    The current total project cost estimate is $120 million, up from $82 million in June 2025. Property acquisition and business relocation alone is estimated at $35 million.

    When will the stadium open?
    The current project timeline targets construction starting in September 2026 and the stadium opening in late 2027, with a 2028 inaugural USL season at the earliest.

    Will the AquaSox leave Everett if the stadium isn’t built?
    Funko Field doesn’t meet the post-2021 MLB facility standards for affiliated minor-league teams. Without a compliant stadium, the AquaSox would lose their MLB affiliation and likely leave the city.

    What USL teams are coming to Everett?
    The city has agreements in place to host two USL teams — one men’s professional team and one women’s professional team. Specific league level (Championship vs League One for the men, Super League for the women), team names, colors, and ownership branding have not been publicly finalized pending stadium approval.

    Where will the stadium be located?
    On the block bounded by Hewitt Avenue, Pacific Avenue, Broadway, and the railroad tracks — one block east of Angel of the Winds Arena in downtown Everett. The city is acquiring 15 properties on that block to clear the site.

    Who pays for the stadium?
    A combination of city interfund loans repaid by long-term municipal bonds, $17 million committed by the AquaSox and USL teams (in exchange for 30-year leases), state Department of Commerce grants ($7.4 million pending council acceptance), and approximately $25 million still to be identified by July.