BOSTON – In the shadow of the Green Monster’s rusty exoskeleton, Koosie Boggs and her boyfriend Neil dipped a soft, salty pretzel into yellow mustard.
Season ticket holders have been on all Red Sox opening days since 2013. This year is the first time that the stadium gates have remained closed. It’s also the first time they can say they were the only customers at Monster Deck, a pop-up sidewalk bar designed to give fans a virus-friendly, outdoor option.
“We are mainly surprised at how calm it is,” Boggs said. “We thought it would be full so we got there early. I guess for the time of the game … it will be interesting to see how the game will really show you. Yes, it’s great to be here, but if you’re not actually watching the game, what’s the point of coming?
For a moment, everything felt normal. Then Neil remembered how strange a practically empty Lansdowne street was. “Obviously, it’s not the same, but it’s nice to be here considering the past four months,” he said.
Fans stroll down a not-so-crowded street outside Fenway Park during the inaugural Boston Red Sox matchup against the Orioles. The coronavirus pandemic has closed games to fans and limited what local bars and businesses have to offer. (Yahoo Sports)
In the second inning, Lansdowne Street filled with fans, but the slowly forming crowd still represented a fraction of what would normally be tens of thousands of people. It was a mostly young party, often with people traveling in groups of two or four. A large majority wore masks when not sitting, a sign of Boston’s measured response to the pandemic that has affected more than 115,000 people in the state.
But even when the open tables became more difficult to find, the street was half hummed. When Jackie Bradley Jr. scored the first run of the season with a José Peraza double, only scattered applause and a weak whistle followed. Same for JD Martinez’s RBI two minutes later. A chant of “Let’s Go Sox” almost but not fully captured at the bottom of the third inning.
It was almost as if there wasn’t even a game running. Fans could only easily watch the game in some bars as that emphasized outdoor seating. The noise from the crowd of Fenway Park speakers almost always drowned out any celebration fans might awkwardly muster during the Red Sox ’13-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.
The three streets surrounding Fenway Park, Lansdowne behind the Green Monster, Jersey adjacent to the third base line, and Boylston along the way, are nerve centers for fans in search of beer, food, and merch. Businesses on those streets hoped that the return of MLB would help revitalize the local economy devastated by COVID-19. Even with a small crowd, opening day certainly helped. But problems persist, damage will continue, and empty chairs can sometimes outnumber fans.
“In Boston, opening day is almost like a holiday,” Holdens Philogene, a Bleacher Bar keeper, told Yahoo Sports. “On Lansdowne Street, even bigger. I would equate it as a carnival. You can see the effects of COVID. ”
The Fenway area was especially economically vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the virus hit the United States at the worst possible time. The neighborhood’s peak season is between St. Patrick’s Day and October, when the weather is fine and fans sing “Dirty Water” as they leave the stadium for 108 years after Sox wins.
People typically flock to Lansdowne Street only for ball games and concerts, all of which have been non-existent since the city effectively closed on March 15. Joe Hicks, manager of several Fenway bars, including Game On, Bleacher Bar and Lansdowne Pub, estimates between 80 and 90 percent of business comes from Red Sox games, both at home and away.
“This is how the bar survives,” Hicks told Yahoo Sports. “From St. Patrick’s Day to the end of the playoffs at Fenway. This is how most companies make their money, and then come out of the winter. “
Due to strict reopening rules, many restaurants in Lansdowne remained closed for approximately three months, and the Boston Herald reported that some have been doing only 15 to 20 percent of their normal business. The staff was fired and the street was deserted.
But on July 13, Boston entered Phase 3, allowing outdoor gatherings of up to 50 people. Businesses across the park reopened and hoped the MLB job fight would pave the way for baseball. Any baseball.
When the shortened season, regionally emphasized, became apparent, the organizers of Lansdowne Street worked with the city to officially close the way on game days. While in practice, no sensible person would drive the streets of Lansdowne or Jersey on a game day, the deal allows restaurants to set up makeshift patios on the street, a more attractive proposition since the virus is more likely it spreads through particles inside than outside. Still, Mayor Marty J. Walsh warned people on July 23 that going to Fenway for opening day might not be the safest measure.
“Lansdowne Street, for decades, has been trying to attract as many people as possible in an area,” Hicks said in a telephone interview on July 1. “This is how we have done business. So we have to rethink that. “
The Cask ‘N Flagon bar in Boston, just outside Fenway Park, is one of many companies trying to eat outside during Red Sox games. (Yahoo Sports)
At Cask ‘N Flagon, a famous baseball bar, picnic tables lined the sidewalk on either side of the road to maximize outdoor seating options. As in all restaurants, masks were required everywhere except at your table and a menu with limited contact QR code. Cask ‘N Flagon CEO Klajdi Palaj told Yahoo Sports that Lansdowne restaurants worked together to help beautify courtyards and establish a safe environment.
Around the corner on Jersey Street, the Red Sox team’s official store experienced problems similar to those of restaurants. Scott Saklad, who worked as the store’s general manager for 30 years, said that about three-quarters of his business generally comes from local Sox games. At 5pm, there were as many store employees as customers browsing.
“Sales have dropped dramatically. It is a difficult time for everyone. We just have to lower our heads and get over it, and hopefully eventually we will be back to normal, ”Saklad said.
Although it is clear that the opening of Lansdowne Street was highly planned, the nature of the street food did not lend itself to really seeing the Red Sox.
At a table, a couple propped an iPhone on a bottle of ketchup to stream the game. Customers in the outdoor courtyard of Lansdowne Street Pub craned their necks to peek at an indoor monitor. A giant electronic billboard hung above The Deck in Lansdowne, but it only featured ads, not the game.
The result was a swath of fans geographically as close to the game as possible, but almost oblivious to the action. Without access to the game, it became more a night in the city than an experience for fans.
At 9pm, almost all the outdoor tables were full, but no one blinked when Eovaldi got Chris Davis to line up on a final double play in the fourth inning. When Orioles reliever Cody Carroll came in with Michael Chavis to give Boston a 5-0 lead, hardly anyone noticed.
Even a chant of “Yankees Sucks” failed when two guys tried to start with the bases loaded.
The best place to watch the game is Bleacher Bar, a restaurant built into the stands in the center field. Customers can see the field at ground level, but players cannot see the restaurant. There, the Bleacher Bar limited its capacity to a third and turned the tables every 45 minutes.
Under door C, near Bleacher Bar, Emily Barbella and Haley Yabroudy, two fans who met at Simmons University, posed for a photo. They usually go to opening day, but just being in Lansdowne was enough.
“We really miss baseball,” Yabroudy said through a Red Sox face mask.
“I am very happy that we have come,” added Barbella.
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