Dodgers, Rays happy to have fans
Individual whistles echo during quieter moments, and a single fan with enough persistence can leave an impression with a chant during World Series games with the smallest crowds in more than 100 years.
Because of the coronavirus, this year’s Fall Classic is being held at a neutral site. A team from each coast is playing in Texas, drawing fans from Los Angeles and Tampa, Florida — along with curious Rangers supporters seeing the home squad’s new retractable-roof stadium for the first time.
The roughly 11,000 mask-wearing fans each night — well, they’re supposed to be wearing face coverings — are roughly 11,000 more than players saw in the stands during the regular season and all of the AL playoffs. So 40,518-seat Globe Life Field might as well be full as far as the Rays are concerned.
“It certainly sounds like there’s 40,000 people in there,” manager Kevin Cash said. “Now, they might be 35,000 Dodger fans, which is OK. Any type of loudness and energy, that creates a lot in the dugout. That creates intensity. It’s loud and it’s been really refreshing to get to play with fans.”
To Cash’s point, there has been plenty of Dodger blue visible for each of the 12 games with limited crowds since the start of the NL Championship Series two weeks ago. The 13th was Game 6 of the World Series on Tuesday night.
It’s the first World Series played entirely at one ballpark since 1944 between the Cardinals and Browns at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis — and the fourth overall. The Yankees and Giants shared New York’s Polo Grounds in 1921 and 1922.