PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — For the first time in 553 days, there were real cheers and boos at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park, not piped-in audio. Real people in the seats, not cardboard cutouts.
For Phillies fan Tara Gates of Wilmington, Opening Day was a long time coming.
"My family and I have been coming to Opening Day for the last seven years. Last year, of course, we were sad to not be here," she said.
“I feel like this is wonderful. It’s time to be back and together again, under safety precautions."
The Phillies' home opener against the Atlanta Braves Thursday afternoon came amid just 8,800 fans and a bevy of those precautions, including a ban on tailgating, zip-tying unused seats to enforce social distancing, mandatory masks, Plexiglass partitions and individually packaged concessions.
All that was fine for many who attended.
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“This is awesome, man! This is awesome. Everybody’s happy. Everybody needs to get out," John Sparango of Northeast Philadelphia exclaimed.
"They have social distancing whether you’re getting food or going to grab a drink. It’s a fantastic vibe here," said George Duffield Sr. of Mt. Laurel.
"I feel very safe. It looks like they have done a wonderful job," Gates added, praising the Phillies' effort to actively communicate COVID-19 policies with fans before the season began.
"Everything that's on the website, too, knowing before you walk in, how everything is going to be operating inside. Everything from the decals on the floor, precautions in the bathroom, Plexiglass at every concession stand."
Even though there was a limited number of fans, there was an unlimited sense of relief that something in life was approaching normalcy.
"It's definitely a different Opening Day," Gates said.
"This year, you sort of take it in and it's a little overwhelming and sort of underwhelming, too, because you're used to so many people, but it's kind of like, 'Thank God we're here!'"
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