It was a premiere night at Oracle Park to remember.
Throughout the night, the noise of the crowd cheered for the San Francisco Giants when they met in their opening season opener of the local season against the San Diego Padres, hanging on each flyball and a base hit.
However, it was not the crowd that made the noise, but instead recorded the audio of fans playing on the stadium’s public announcement loudspeakers to simulate the actual noise of the fans.
And the fans that filled the stands were silent because, well, they were cardboard cutouts.
The COVID-19 pandemic precipitated these unusual conditions for opening night at Oracle Park. Only the essential personnel, a select number of working media and the players and coaches themselves were able to enter the stadium.
Everyone who entered had to answer a health questionnaire and had a single-door coronavirus symptom screening test.
It ended up being a difficult night for the Giants. Starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija gave the Padres a couple of early home runs and gave San Diego a 5-1 lead.
When San Francisco recovered at the end of the sixth inning, the Giants mascot Lou the Seal tried to get the cardboard fans to start a “Come on, Giants” cry.
Unfortunately, his attempt was met with silence, except for the noise of the crowd on the speakers.
