The Baltimore Orioles home game on April 29, 2015 was played without any fans, due to concerns about the nearby issues relating to Freddy Gray, a 25-year-old man who died in police custody. In the days and nights before the game, civil unrest caused the Orioles to postpone two games and relocate an entire series.
Most notably, it triggered the unusual act of closing the game to fans. Normally, during home games the area is buzzing with fans. Now with Covid-19 wreaking havoc around the US, MLB might make the Orioles model the norm.
In Jon Meoli’s article in The Baltimore Sun, he shared some of the players’ experiences that day:
“Caleb Joseph walked out to the bullpen for warmups high-fiving imaginary fans and signing fake autographs down the first-base line … bullpen coach Dom Chiti had to advise the relievers not to cheer so loudly in the first inning because the other team’s relief pitchers were right there.