The Texas Rangers surprised the baseball world the other day when they announced, pursuant to Governor Abbott’s total re-opening of Texas, that Globe Life Field would be operating at 100% capacity starting from Opening Day. Texas currently ranks 24th in the nation for the most COVID cases, well above Washington (which has the fifth-lowest numbers of COVID per capita in the nation), but the Mariners have announced no such plans to open the ballpark to any fans.
That doesn’t mean there isn’t a plan in place, though, as Ryan Divish reports in the Seattle Times. According to team owner John Stanton, the Mariners have been working with local health authorities and training staff in proper procedures in anticipation of opening the ballpark this year—if not in time for Opening Day, then at least at some point during the season.