SF Giants announce 22% capacity at Oracle Park to start season

After a longer wait than many would have predicted, the SF Giants will welcome fans back to Oracle Park for the first time since 2019 on April 9th. According to a press release, the city of San Francisco will allow the franchise to welcome 22% capacity (just over 9,000 fans) back to their home park to start the season. Each fan 12 or older must provide a recent negative COVID-19 test or proof of COVID-19 vaccination to attend games and is mandated to wear a mask.

Most expected the Giants and the city of San Francisco to develop a plan to welcome fans back to games by their home opener. While the team begins the regular season on the road, facing off against the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres in their respective ballparks. On April 9th, the team is scheduled to play their first game at Oracle Park of the year against the Colorado Rockies.

The SF Giants will welcome fans back to Oracle Park this season.

While expectations and political momentum suggest the Giants will be able to welcome more and more fans to Oracle Park as the season continues, the pandemic’s nature keeps things in some limbo. Assuming the vast majority of the population receives a COVID-19 vaccine, life should be able to safely return to normal shortly.

Giants players might be as excited as many fans to hear that they will not be playing in front of empty stands. Veterans Evan Longoria, Wilmer Flores, Brandon Crawford, and Alex Dickerson have all expressed a desire for fans to return. Fans hope their presence can help the team continue their success at Oracle Park from 2020, when the team went 19-14 at home, opposed to 10-17 on the road.

Of course, Giants ownership is the biggest winner of all from today’s news. All professional sports saw a huge decline in revenues last year as fans were not allowed to attend most games, cutting off a major revenue source. Teams still generated plenty of money from TV and radio deals but will rake in even more with paid attendance.

When the Colorado Rockies face off against the SF Giants at Oracle Park on April 9th, more than 9,000 fans will be in attendance to take in some regular-season Major League Baseball. That line would have been incredibly unexciting in 2019, but now means so much more to many.