In light of everything that's going on in Baltimore right now, the Orioles are trying to figure out how to handle all of the home games that they were scheduled to have this week. So far, they've canceled two of them, and the thought was that they might have to cancel more. But it sounds like they've come up with a creative way to get around the fact that they can't really hold night games in Baltimore because of the mandatory curfew that's in place. Their solution to the problem? They're going to play a game tomorrow afternoon…in an empty stadium.
That's right. Rather than hold their home game against the White Sox on Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. as previously scheduled, they're going to hold it at 2:05 p.m. And they're not going to allow any fans to attend the game. It's definitely going to look weird to see a game take place in front of zero fans—Major League Baseball says it's the first time in history that a game will be played without fans in attendance—but it's something that will "minimize safety concerns," according to a press release put out by MLB. Additionally, the Orioles' three-game weekend series against the Rays has been moved from Baltimore to Tampa Bay, and the two games against the White Sox that were canceled this week will be made up in late May as part of a doubleheader at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
Obviously, none of this is ideal for the Orioles. But it sounds like it's the best thing for all teams and fans involved. And really, baseball is the last thing that anyone in Baltimore should be thinking about right now anyway.
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