SEATTLE -- There was a no-no at Safeco Field this weekend and it had nothing to do with New York pitcher Ted Lilly's near feat.

This one was a scolding.

Seattle Mariners fans who tried to wear "Yankees Suck" T-shirts during a three-game weekend series against New York were told to turn their shirts inside out, take them off or leave.

"We may lead the league in ejections from the ballpark, but not because fans are misbehaving more here but because we don't tolerate much," said team spokeswoman Rebecca Hale. "This is about appropriate behavior. We have a code of conduct, a policy for language on clothing and banners and signs. Our feeling was this was not promoting what we want."

The shirts were being sold across the street from the stadium by at least one vendor, Hale said. No one was ejected for having the clothing.

The Mariners say they will maintain a longstanding policy of providing a family atmosphere at all times -- unlike Yankee Stadium.

Hale said she heard of T-shirts at Yankee Stadium last year featuring a New York firefighter urinating on Seattle star Ichiro Suzuki.

"There are different standards," Hale said. "That was apparently appropriate at Yankee Stadium. It wouldn't be at Safeco Field."

The Yankees said Monday they had no comment.

Hale said if the Mariners were to allow messages in the ballpark that could be offensive, other problems could arise, such as fist fights.

The Mariners had to ask fans to cover up inappropriate signs and clothing when Alex Rodriguez returned last year after leaving for Texas and a $252 million, 10-year contract, Hale said, and also when the Mariners played the Yankees in 2001.

"This is not new," she said. "This is a more hospitable setting than some other ballparks."

She insists little details do matter.

"If you don't pay attention to the small things, you lose control of the neighborhood and it becomes run down and crime infested," she said.

There is a "Yanks Suck" Web site, providing a community for anti-Yankees fans and a place to buy such shirts. It was started by Boston Red Sox faithful.

New York left-hander Lilly carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning of Seattle's 1-0 victory Saturday.