Up close and personal
Rebuilt bullpen offers visiting pitchers little relief from dealing with fans
The Detroit Tigers were closing in on a win over the Blue Jays when reliever Alex Lange hopped off his seat in the visitors’ bullpen to warm up.
It’s safe to assume the 27-year-old closer has been heckled by fans before. But on this Thursday evening in early April at the Rogers Centre, where the bullpen has been raised and players are now mere feet away from the crowd, the abuse was up close and personal.
“Hey Lange, did you know you got no f---ing range?” one fan kept yelling from the deck of The Catch Bar, perched over the ’pen in right field. “What the f--- is wrong with your pitching?”
By the time the ninth inning rolls around, fans’ tongues tend to loosen and the insults flow more freely.
Lange seemingly paid no attention before entering the series finale to earn a save for the Tigers. But the moment was indicative of the behaviour teams can expect on a regular basis after major renovations to the outfield. .
“We’re going to get our fans closer to our players, and probably closer to the visiting players than they want,” Jays president and CEO Mark Shapiro said at the reno unveiling a week before the April 11 home opener.
Fans are relishing the opportunity. Areas near the visitors’ bullpen are the first to fill up after the gates open and fans rush to grab spots in the new general admission neighbourhoods in the outfield, at $20 a pop.
There are several rows of benches directly behind the length of the bullpen — first come, first served. Down the side and a few steps below, spectators can wrap their fingers around a chain-linked fence directly behind the bullpen catchers as they help pitchers warm up. And over top are more layers of fans — some straddling the railing to watch the action, others ordering drinks from one of the new bars.
The makeover has become an attraction all on its own, with fans from other sections venturing over to check it out during games.
“They were talking about it on TV and we wanted to come and see it in person. This is incredible,” said Claire Morrison, who recently flew from Sudbury with husband Rick Forest to watch the Jays play the Chicago White Sox.
They were amazed by how close they could get to the players, and took selfies to share with friends and other fans in northern Ontario.
After the first few home series, the Jays say the ballpark experience has left an “overwhelmingly positive” feeling.
“We overstaffed every touchpoint that offered a service to fans. Fans were very respectful while also having fun — there were no exchanges that resulted in fans needing to be removed from the ballpark,” Michelle Seniuk, the club’s vice-president of fan experience, said in a statement to the Star.
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As the summer gets warmer and rivals come in, I can imagine there are going to be quite a few interactions between opposing teams and the patrons that come to the game.
A.J. HINCH TIGERS MANAGER
The Jays monitor crowd activity and will issue a warning if it crosses the line. They say fans can be relocated if aggressive behaviour continues, but added that most of the taunts were considered “polite heckling” and nothing got out of hand. Nonetheless, visiting teams are taking notice.
“I think the interaction with the fans is going to be really interesting to follow,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told reporters when Detroit was in town. “As the summer gets warmer and rivals come in, I can imagine there are going to be quite a few interactions between opposing teams and the patrons that come to the game. A little heads-up on that one.”
One incident shared on social media featured a Jays fan jumping out of his seat, leaning over a railing and getting into the face of Tigers reliever Chasen Shreve, who had to walk past to exit the bullpen and head onto the field. As the fan gesticulated and shouted at Shreve, a police officer watched nearby. The officer never intervened, and the fan retreated to his seat after Shreve disappeared down the steps.
There was also video of an open beer can dropping into the visitors’ bullpen and spilling, to the bemusement of Tigers players nearby. One pretended to eject the fan from the game, while a police officer strode in, picked it up and looked for the culprit. The Jays said it turned out to be an accident.
As the Star observed at three home games over the past couple of weeks, the biggest change to the ballpark experience is that players in the bullpen now find themselves within close earshot of fans. Rowdy spectators shouting choice words is nothing new, but more often than not players couldn’t hear it over the din. Now if fans want players to hear them, they will.
Tigers reliever Jason Foley can attest to that. The right-hander was repeatedly called “Fooley” and encouraged to “go out there and s--the bed” before pitching a scoreless inning.
But the majority of fans weren’t there to stir things up. Players could be seen exchanging pleasantries with spectators, occasionally tossing balls for them to catch and keep.
Oakville resident Mary Sloan and 11-year-old son Liam — in matching Bo Bichette jerseys — were among the first fans inside the Rogers Centre for the Jays-White Sox matinee on Wednesday. They sat on the first bench behind the bullpen and Liam, baseball glove in hand, stood and waved at every White Sox pitcher as they warmed up. He finally got the attention of right-hander Gregory Santos, who smiled and gently tossed a ball to him.
“Amazing, I’ll keep it forever,” Liam said afterwards.
His mom joked it might turn Liam into a White Sox fan: “He was hoping for a home run ball, but that was great, too.”
During the Tigers series, Detroit shortstop Javier Báez was hanging out in the bullpen with teammates before one game when a Jays fan tried to get his attention.
“Báez, can I trade you a beer for a ball?” shouted the fan, who later identified himself as Marco Hooson. Báez smiled, shook his head, ignored further pleas and waved as he left the ’pen.
“I still love you,” said a resigned Hooson, waving back. .
The Jays say feedback from other teams about the redesign has been positive overall. But as Hinch warned during the first home series, things could get more interesting as the season and weather heat up.
The rival New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, and their travelling supporters, have yet to come to town this season. The Jays say they will continue to monitor the crowd situation closely.
“Our goal was to create a modern fan experience while ensuring the safety of our fans and players,” Seniuk said, “and our staff did an incredible job both during the games and in the months of operational planning in the lead-up.”
For fans such as Hooson, getting so close to the players and having an opportunity to engage with them is something to be cherished.
“I loved it,” he said. “Obviously you have to be polite as a human, but it’s great to just give them a nudge and see how they react.”