California lifted practically all of its coronavirus-related restrictions this week, but the Bay Area’s MLB stadiums did not.
The San Francisco Giants will continue selling tickets in vaccinated and unvaccinated sections through the conclusion of their seven-game homestand at Oracle Park on Sunday, while the Oakland Athletics will not fully reopen the Oakland Coliseum until the A’s return home from a lengthy road trip on June 29.
"But the big thing going forward is, a week from tomorrow, starting Friday night with our Bay Bridge series against the A’s, it’s really the grand reopening (of Oracle Park)," Larry Baer, Giants president and CEO, told KCBS Radio’s Joe Hughes, Margie Shafer and Jim Taylor on Thursday morning.
"There’s gonna be a real sense of normalcy starting a week from Friday," Baer added. "But even this week with vaccinated seats, we’ll be able to bridge to the new normal."
Neither the Giants nor the A’s played in front of fans during the shortened 2020 season as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Both teams played in front of limited-capacity crowds to start the 2021 season, increasing capacity as the Bay Area and the state started to loosen restrictions on attendance at outdoor sporting events.
The Giants (43-25) have the best record in the National League and a two-game cushion over the rival Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West. The A’s (43-27), meanwhile, are atop the American League West and tied for the longest active winning streak (six games) in MLB.
San Francisco and Oakland will begin a three-game series on June 25 at Oracle Park, the first day the Giants’ stadium will be open at full capacity of over 41,000 fans.
"The fans are really excited," Baer said. "And we know that a week from Friday we’ll fill the ballpark. They’re gonna come out, and we’ll have crowds that look like the crowds we had during those championship years (in 2010, ‘12 and ‘14). We’re gonna be opened up to a point where, really, we can get the electricity of the crowd powering the players."
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