By Charles Hamaker 

Northgate, WA – You wouldn’t necessarily think that someone born in Rosenheim, Germany would go on to become a fan of baseball, a sport that is most popular in the United States of America with degrees of it in Japan and Korea but little anywhere else in the world. In steps Seattle Kraken goaltender Philipp Grubauer, who can be found at several Seattle Mariners games throughout the summer at T-Mobile Park. Also, this past summer, Grubauer could be found at Lumen Field for the second iteration of the Seattle-Portland doubleheader as the Emerald City’s Sounders and Reign hosted the Timbers and Thorns, respectively. On the surface, it wouldn’t make much sense to see Grubauer loving the game of baseball or donning a Seahawks jersey, but Philipp has come to love this city and its teams when not playing for its hockey team. You can learn more in the video below.

In the other Washington, Grubauer finds a love of baseball 

When speaking to The German Gentleman, he noted that his love for the game of baseball started when he was with the Washington Capitals. Adam Eaton, a 10-year MLB veteran who spent 2017-2020 with the Washington Nationals, helped Grubauer get into the sport and kicked off his love for America’s pastime. Eaton’s connection with several Capitals players during that time period led to him coming to the team’s locker room, where a meeting with Grubauer took place.  

Taking part in the 2021 Celebrity softball game 

Every year at Major League Baseball’s all-star weekend, the league will hold a celebrity softball game primarily featuring celebrities and athletes that have ties to the city in which the fesitivies are being held in. 2021 was an interesting year for All-Star week and its festivities, because the game wasn’t originally scheduled to be in Colorado where Grubauer was lightning things up in net for the Avalanche and eventually was named as a finalist for the Vezina trophy. MLB’s midsummer classic was set to take place in Atlanta, Georgia but after Georgia state’s legislature passed the “Election integrity act of 2021,” the league moved the game to Coors field, home of the Colorado Rockies. It became the second All-Star weekend ever held in Colorado (the previous event being held in 1998), and they needed local celebrities. Grubauer, that season's shutout leader in the NHL, was called upon and happily obliged.  

The Seattle love is real 

If you’re a fan of more than one Seattle sports team it’s obvious that several of the cities athletes from different teams support the other squads around the Emerald City, and even still you may notice this. Grubauer is no different, as he can be found at T-Mobile Park for Seattle Mariners games to keep his baseball fandom alive and well, donning a Seahawks jersey, and even taking in the premier futbol even in the Pacific Northwest, the Seattle-Portland doubleheader this past summer. Whether it’s yelling “GRUUUU” after a highlight save, giving him a dapper nickname such as the “German Gentleman,” or showing his love for the city by supporting the other teams in the area, it’s obvious that Seattle’s love for Grubauer is a mutual feeling. 

https://www.whereweconverge.com/circling-seattle-sports

Video and editing by Mathew Bermudez. You can check out Mat’s work with CSS here and his portfolio here

Photo in cover by Liv Lyons. You can check out Liv’s work with CSS here and her portfolio here

Cover created by Ethan Davis