Former Seattle Mariners Reliever Shares Lifelong Bond w/ Former Teammates
Matt Festa, who pitched for the Mariners in 2018-19 and 2022-23 got married this offseason, with several former teammates in attendance.
SEATTLE -- In the bottom of the fifth inning on Saturday night at T-Mobile Park, Cleveland Guardians reliever Matt Festa pitched to Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, getting him to fly out to left field. And while they are rivals in this series between the two American League playoff hopefuls, they are forever bonded because of the events of this offseason. Festa and his fiancee, Danamarie McNicholl, got married at a castle in Dublin, Ireland in November - the pictures on social media making it seem like the event of the offseason.
George Kirby (L) and Matt Brash (R) take part in Matt Festa's wedding. The reason for an Irish wedding? McNicholl's family has strong Irish roots and she visited frequently as a child.
Speaking before Saturday's 6-5 Guardians win, Festa smiled and said an Ireland wedding was a 'non-negotiable' for her. While Festa had to travel across the Atlantic Ocean to get married, he certainly didn't do it alone. Several of his former Mariners teammates attended the shindig as well.
Festa, 33, spent parts of four seasons with the Mariners (2018, 2019, 2022, 2023), creating strong relationships that transcend player movement and roster placements. Raleigh, George Kirby, and Matt Brash were all there from the current Mariners, and former relievers Paul Sewald and Penn Murfee were also in attendance. Logan Gilbert was supposed to go, but was occupied with the birth of his family's first child.