After weeks of failed negotiations between team owners and the Players Association, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred moved forward to implement a shortened 60-game regular season schedule that will begin July 23.
While the stage has been set for baseball’s return this summer, the upcoming campaign will be unlike any other in history. Most notably, play will initially resume without fans being allowed to attend games.
The KBO League has adapted to this by filling empty seats with dummies. Though it remains to be seen if MLB will follow a similar approach, some clubs are thinking outside of the box in effort to make games feel authentic without fans.
Artificial crowd noise is one of the many ideas teams are considering. As the Los Angeles Dodgers get set to hold their first team workout Friday, players are already warming up to the possibility.
Justin Turner shared a video of himself taking batting practice at Dodger Stadium with artificial crowd noise blaring in the background:
Likewise, Alex Wood posted a video with the same concept while throwing live batting practice:
The artificial crowd noise, based on the videos uploaded by Turner and Wood, sounds realistic, so it will be interesting to see if the Dodgers adopt this during the regular season.
As for when fans may be allowed to attend games again, there isn’t a definite answer. MLB has deferred to local governments to make the decision, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is open to his state’s teams filling stadiums at a 50% capacity.
The Dodgers, however, face tougher odds of having fans attend games at Dodger Stadium this season. Team president and CEO Stan Kasten conceded the prospect isn’t likely this season after recently speaking with L.A. County officials.
Moreover, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has maintained his stance that sporting and other events within the state were unlikely to have fans this year, unless a vaccine is in place.
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