The Silence of the Fans

By now, everyone has heard about the protests in Baltimore. Videos and stories are all over the news & internet showcasing the events that are happening. Even though riots are happening outside, baseball must still go on inside. Today the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago White Sox played in front of a crowd of 0. Yes, ZERO.

Since the game was closed to the public, watching it felt very odd. The sound of foul balls hitting empty seats and absolutely no cheering for the home team was not something that is normal in a Major League Baseball game.

The Orioles broke open the game in the first inning, thanks to a Chris Davis home run, and ended up winning the game 8-2. The only people who saw this game live in person were Camden Yards employees, journalists, players/coaches/umpires, a couple scouts, and a small group of loyal fans standing outside the stadium gates. This made a regular season MLB game seem quite eerie.

This was the first Major League Baseball game to be played with a fan attendance of 0.  The Orioles will now move on to to Tropicana Field to serve as the home team against the Rays while the riots in Baltimore will (hopefully) be coming to a calm close. Although this game setting was unique and the players had a little fun with it, it came under tough circumstances. I truly hope matters in Baltimore get resolved, so fans can get back to the ballpark, where they belong.

Video of an Orioles player "signing autographs for fans."

Photos: Deadspin

             Baltimore Sun