March 18, 2024

Orioles to play White Sox on Wednesday in closed stadium

BALTIMORE (AP) — After a pair of postponements caused by rioting in Baltimore, the Orioles and Chicago White Sox will play Wednesday at Camden Yards in what is believed to be the first game without fans in major league baseball’s 145-season history.

Because of the unsettled environment in Baltimore, where rioters burned a drug store and set police cars ablaze on Monday night, officials moved the game up five hours from its original 7:05 p.m. starting time and closed it to the public.

In addition, Baltimore’s Friday-to-Sunday series against Tampa Bay was shifted from Camden Yards to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, with the Orioles remaining the home team and batting last.

“All of the decisions in Baltimore were driven first by the desire to insure the safety of fans, players, umpires and stadium workers,” Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred wrote in an email to The Associated Press. “Only after we were comfortable that those concerns had been addressed did we consider competitive issues and the integrity of the schedule.”

Although the Orioles won’t be performing in front of their fans Wednesday and will lose three home games, they understood the situation and had not complaints.

“It’s all about what’s best for the city and the safety of our people,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said in a telephone interview with the AP.