Most years, Major League Baseball Opening Day is a time for fans to huddle in the stands and welcome the return of America’s pastime. But the coronavirus pandemic and the need for social distancing to prevent its spread necessarily kept seats empty and fans watching from home. Instead, the teams populated their stadiums with cutouts, creating a bit of fantasy for the start of a new MLB season.
Of course, it also created opportunities for trolling between teams, as Hall of Famer Chipper Jones appeared at Citi Field to hunt down the Mets in his own stadium, though this time only in cardboard form:
LAR “LARRY! LARRY!”
😎🤟 pic.twitter.com/g0FiFTOjN2
– Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 24, 2020
At least one Mets fan got into the spirit of the thing by deciding that Opening Day would also be Dog Day at the stadium:
Nearly 5,000 people bought cardboard cutouts of their own for the @Mets games at Citi Field this season.
One person bought a clipping for their dog and it is quite good. pic.twitter.com/8f1XJjie3h
– Avish Sood (@AvishSood) July 19, 2020
On a more serious note, the Mets honored the late New York Post sports photographer Anthony Causi by putting a snip of him on his family hanger at the stadium:
The Mets have put a cardboard cutout of Anthony Causi in the photo hole ❤️ pic.twitter.com/XU6XQwWmSL
– SNY (@SNYtv) July 21, 2020
In Houston, Astros “fans” packed Crawford boxes:
Astros fans, join the crowd in MMP!
Fan cutouts are being installed, but you can still get a seat for the 2020 season at https://t.co/W18UplUSO2. #ForTheH pic.twitter.com/cWLoiHwxsd
– Houston Astros (@astros) July 22, 2020
And in Cleveland, the classic stadium proposal appeared:
She said yes! 💍
Wow. What a moment! pic.twitter.com/sF6vdmXu5x
– Cleveland Indians (@Indians) July 25, 2020
Enthusiasm for the cuts even crossed sports. As 49ers tight end George Kittle has joined other celebrities (including his own quarterback and Guy Fieri) in the stands in San Francisco:
The closest I can get to @ JimmyG_10 talking to me in the off season … @ E40 knows what’s good though! Good luck tonight @SFGiants 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/6Xs5kQ5ONv
– George Kittle (@ gkittle46) July 24, 2020
Across the Bay, the Oakland Athletics did better, putting former Colosseum vendor Tom Hanks back in the stands, ready to supply his cutout companions for all his hot dog needs:
I love the fancy cardboard cutout in #MLB games, but I’ll give A’s bonus points for the concessions hot dog type! #MLB #MLBOpeningDay #OpeningDay pic.twitter.com/5hKLDuoO79
– Jersey Joe (@ JerseyJoe50) July 25, 2020
Also in attendance was another blast from the franchise’s past – former team owner Charlie Finley’s famous mascot for the team, Charlie-O the Mule:
Oakland, in a nutshell … (yes, I have to learn how to take screenshots instead of taking photos from TV) pic.twitter.com/Z1PSAcuPIG
– Taylor Blake Ward (@TaylorBlakeWard) July 25, 2020
Of course, with all these cutouts filling the stands, you could be forgiven if you start seeing double:
The cuts are doubled. Life finds a way. pic.twitter.com/hKYOUUX1ux
– Mike Petriello (@mike_petriello) July 24, 2020
But on the south side of Chicago, a super fan made sure you could get him out of the crowd … being the crowd:
White Sox fan Paul Garrett bought 100 cardboard cutouts of himself! He’ll cheer on the White Sox near the visitor’s shelter. pic.twitter.com/hj8TJbyhpP
– Chuck Garfien (@ChuckGarfien) July 22, 2020
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