Giants closer Trevor Gott lost control of a 96 mph fast car in the ninth inning Tuesday night and looked off the mound as she looked over Tyler Heineman’s glove and hit the backstop. Back in the broadcast office at Oracle Park, Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper grinned.
“President Bush did not even flinch,” mad Krukow.
The ball hit the net over five yards from cuts by late President George HW Bush and his wife Barbara, who had been residents of Houston for years. This is what baseball looks like in 2020, a year without fans.
The outing programs have become popular with MLB clubs, and at every stop on the three-city road trip, the Giants saw a lot of them. The Dodgers complement their lower deck and outfield bleachers, with outcasts from famed Dodger fans getting prime seats behind the plate. The Rockies filled the first three rows behind the plate with outbursts of former Rockies players and creepy mascot Dinger.
The Astros took an odd and random approach, filling two sections directly behind the plate, but leaving the second through fifth rows open in an adjacent section that was clearly visible on TV broadcasts. They filled one section on the right field line, a few rows behind the dugout, the Crawford Boxes in left field and two sections right behind the home ball line. The rest of the park was mostly empty.
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It was all a bit confusing, especially for players who have a lot of time before and during games to look around.
“I do not really understand what they are trying to do. They have random sections in the open field empty, and then they have random sections completely full, and then they have not filled behind home plate,” said foreigner Austin Slater. “And then the Rockies only went with ex-players and they had like 10 or 15 Todd Heltons in, that was kind of weird. I think the way we do it is probably the best, only fills so much of the stadium if possible, start with back panels and move on. “
That’s what the Giants are doing at Oracle Park, with the help of a fan base that remains passionate even in what has been another losing season so far. When the Giants return home tonight, they will see 5,459 additional outlets installed earlier this week, bringing the total to 10,205.
The lower deck is almost completely full behind the plate and both rows down, with recesses spouting into other sections as well. Another round of installations takes place Monday and Tuesday, with the Giants approaching 13,000 slots already installed or requested.
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It took a while to get used to it, but players are on board with the program, with both Slater and outfielder Hunter Pence recently saying they help when you are on the field in an otherwise empty park.
“Psychologically, it helps to have the cardboard cuts, as much as we do,” Pence said. “For whatever reason, just knowing that the fans are excited to see themselves when a foul ball goes that way or whatever it is, makes you kind of feel the spirit of the people.”
