Baseball in NYC will be at full capacity once again in two weeks…sort of, as New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that as of May 19, Yankee Stadium and Citi Field could be back up to 100 percent capacity depending on the vaccination status of ticketholders.
Per the Governor, people with proof of vaccination can sit next to each other in sections with normal seating, while unvaccinated people will be subject to six-foot social distancing rules in their sections, which works out to approximately 33 percent capacity in those areas. Also, those 16 and under who are not yet eligible for the vaccine in New York can sit with their families in vaccinated sections.
“You could be at 100 percent capacity if everyone in the stadium is vaccinated,” Gov. Cuomo said.
All attendees will be required to wear masks, but the testing policy requiring attendees to show a negative COVID test within a certain time frame will also be phased out.
“The crowd makes the game,” Gov. Cuomo said. “The crowd energizes, and brings the rhythm and dynamic into the stadium. So much of sports is talking about momentum, and the crowd is part of that – and great teams will say one of their greatest assets is their fan base, especially a New York crowd.”
“I think you said it well – fans make the game, and if anyone saw or heard the Yankee game last night, that point was crystal clear.
We were at capacity of 10,850, and it sounded like we were full from start to finish – it reminded us of the way it used to be, and can be again,” Yankees President Randy Levine added.
An even bigger perk: the Mets and Yankees have teamed up with the New York Department of Health to have facilities at both Yankee Stadium and Citi Field where people can get vaccines, with the Governor offering a free ticket to a Mets or Yankees game if you do that.
“It’s smart, it’s generous, it’s convenient, and recognizes the civic responsibility of all of us – we call that a New York home run,” the Governor said. “We thank the Mets and Yankees for doing this; they didn’t have to do it, and it’s not easy to do, but it is truly the New York spirit, and I thank them for being New York tough.”
“We have vaccinated thousands of people, but we need more, because that’s how we get back to normalcy,” Levine added. “We are excited to take that program and combine it with free tickets. We will put it on our website about how it will work. We’re all in on this, and excited to be part of it and have more fans in the building.”
Mets President Sandy Alderson also said that Citi Field is continuing to vaccinate about 2,000 people per day – with drive-thru lanes to be added to increase that output – and the Governor is hopeful that the city will have enough supply of the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine to make the effort work.
“Seeing the data today, it speaks volumes for where we are as a state and a city, and this reopening of baseball is another indication of how far we’ve come,” Alderson said. “We are committed to a gradual reopening, and even with criteria for entering the ballpark, but there are some people that are just not comfortable being in large groups, even in an outdoor facility, so we still have a need for some social distancing, but we’re excited about this process moving forward.”
According to Alderson, the Mets, at least, will likely relocate current ticketholders into appropriate sections once the mandate takes effect, with those purchasing tickets going forward likely added into one of those buckets, with “inventory in both vaccinated and unvaccinated locations.”
A strong start, though, he said, but one he hopes can move MLB forward in a similar atmosphere to what he saw Tuesday night at the Triple-A Syracuse Mets’ home opener.
“Being there last night…their ballpark has just been renovated, and the sense of anticipation of the fans going into that ballpark was electric,” Alderson said. “It reminds us this isn’t just a New York City issue, it’s a statewide and national issue.”
Following the announcement, the Yankees also issued the following statement:
We want to thank Governor Cuomo for his decision, which will allow more fans into Yankee Stadium and provide us additional opportunities to further encourage people to get vaccinated. We have been honored to host a vaccination site at Yankee Stadium over these last three months. If we can encourage more people to get vaccinated by giving away Yankees tickets, we are all in. So come to the ballpark, get vaccinated, and root for the Yankees! We also want to thank Mayor de Blasio, who also gave his strong support for this program.
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