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鈥檚 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 鈥� along with curious Rangers supporters seeing the home squad鈥檚 new retractable-roof stadium for the first time.
The roughly 11,000 mask-wearing fans each night 鈥� well, they鈥檙e supposed to be wearing face coverings 鈥� are roughly 11,000 more than players saw in the stands during the regular season and all of the American League playoffs. So 40,518-seat Globe Life Field might as well be full as far as the Tampa Bay Rays are concerned.
鈥淚t certainly sounds like there鈥檚 40,000 people in there,鈥� manager Kevin Cash said. 鈥淣ow, 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鈥檚 loud and it鈥檚 been really refreshing to get to play with fans.鈥�
To Cash鈥檚 point, there has been plenty of Dodger blue visible for each of the 12 games with limited crowds since the two weeks ago.
That also means plenty of masks with the iconic interlocking LA logo since face coverings are required except when fans are 鈥渁ctively eating or drinking鈥� 鈥� an activity apparently more loosely defined by some.
There鈥檚 plenty of elbow room on the concourses, and fans in clusters of four are separated by at least one row above and below them. Mask compliance on the concourses is close to 100%, while in the seats about one in four can be seen either without a mask on, or with the covering pulled down around the neck.
Many of these fans, though, are used to being crammed into the corridors of, say, Dodger Stadium, in the postseason.
鈥淚t鈥檚 great that it鈥檚 empty and it鈥檚 clean and it was easy to get in,鈥� said Ana Chacon, born, raised and still living in Los Angeles County. 鈥淏ut it sucks that not everyone got to come. And it sucks that it鈥檚 not in Los Angeles.鈥�
was the smallest Series crowd since 10,535 attended Game 6 in 1909 between the Tigers and Pittsburgh at Detroit鈥檚 Bennett Park, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
It鈥檚 the first World Series played entirely at one ballpark since 1944 between the Cardinals and Browns at Sportsman鈥檚 Park in St. Louis 鈥� and the fourth overall. The Yankees and Giants shared New York鈥檚 Polo Grounds in 1921 and 1922.
Jacob Ornelas grew up in the Dallas area before returning to his native El Paso. He still makes it back for Texas Rangers games and would have been at Globe Life Field鈥檚 first opening day had fans been allowed.
Ornelas went to games at the original homes of the Rangers, since-demolished Arlington Stadium, and watched them in the World Series a decade ago at Globe Life Park. The open-air facility is still standing across the street from the new place.
He was standing in a concession line, trying to keep his social distance, on a concourse with large dots everywhere reminding people to stay 6 feet apart. Just like with the masks, some lines were compliant, others not so much.
鈥淚t takes away from the experience overall, but not my experience as far as being here the first time, being in a World Series,鈥� Ornelas said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a World Series, not the regular season. The crowd, the noise.鈥�
Los Angeles pitcher Tony Gonsolin said he noticed a stronger presence of Dodgers fans in the World Series compared with the NLCS, which might have to do with the Atlanta Braves having a strong national following themselves. LA beat Atlanta in Game 7 to advance.
鈥淥verall, it鈥檚 a little bit louder,鈥� Gonsolin said. 鈥淭hose exciting moments are a little more exciting. It鈥檚 just a fun atmosphere.鈥�
The retractable roof has served a purpose as well. It was open for the first two games, when the temperature at first pitch was in the low 80s during a usually mild time of year in Texas.
It was about 30 degrees cooler for Game 3, so the roof was closed, then reopened with a game-time temperature of 57 degrees for Game 4. A cold and rainy Sunday closed the roof again for Game 5.
鈥淩egardless of the limited amount (of fans), I think the stadium does still get loud, especially with the roof closed,鈥� Tampa Bay outfielder Austin Meadows said. 鈥淚t is nice to have that and kind of earn that, especially with this year going through so much and not having anybody in the stands. Getting to experience that here in the World Series is special.鈥�