Take Me Out to a Giants Game

San Francisco Giants finally welcome fans back into Oracle Park 

Last Friday marked the first time in 18 months that fans were allowed to attend a San Francisco Giants game at Oracle Park.

After having no fans for the shortened 2020 Major League Baseball (MLB) season due to the pandemic, the 7,390 fans in attendance for the Giants’ 2021 home opener on April 9 was a welcomed sight for baseball-starved fans in Northern California.

Oracle Park is limited to 22% capacity to start the season, but the several thousand in attendance made their presence known. Chants of “Johnny! Johnny!” rained down from Giants’ fans throughout the night.  

The 14-year veteran Johnny Cueto pitched masterfully for the Giants, throwing 8 ⅔ innings in a 3-1 win over the Colorado Rockies. 

“I like to perform and pump up the crowd,” Cueto said in a postgame interview with the team. 

In accordance with CDC guidelines and California State Law, the Giants are taking necessary precautions to safely house a limited number of fans inside Oracle Park. 

“[Giants homes games represent] the very first big event in San Francisco since we all shut down in March,” Giants spokesperson Staci Slaughter said. “So it's absolutely imperative that people take the extra step to get tested, or show they’re fully vaccinated, because it's not just what's going on in the ballpark, it's the surrounding community and we want to make it a safe environment for everyone.”

For now, the team prioritizes a safe and unique experience for Giants fans to attend April home games. Fans are required to show a negative COVID-19 test or proof of being fully vaccinated for at least two weeks to enter stadium gates. In an attempt to keep fans spaced out, the stadium is separated into nine zones. Fans enter Oracle Park through an assigned gate, then have access to concessions and restrooms in their corresponding zone. 

All food orders are done electronically by phone, then picked up when ready at a nearby stand. 

“It was nice to order food from my seat and pick it up when it was ready without a line, everyone already paid,” Santa Clara senior Rich Campbell said of his recent experience at Oracle Park.

“I was under the impression that the entire stadium was going to be open, but the sections were more than enough room for fans to space out.”

Future tickets for May and succeeding months are not yet being sold, as the Giants await updates from the health department. The team is optimistic that their operating capacity will slowly return to normal as COVID-19 rates slow down. 

The San Francisco Giants reached the two-week mark of their 162 game season with a record of 8-4, as of April 15. They are  tied for second place in the ever-competitive National League West. The team has a plethora of young hopefuls  that mix  with proven veterans.

San Francisco and Santa Clara recently joined Alameda and Contra Costa as Northern California cities to open up COVID-19 vaccine appointments to all county residents and workers at least 16 years old. 

Schedule a vaccination appointment or show your negative test result to Oracle Park employees, because even in an odd year, the San Francisco Giants are a must-watch product.