I didn’t really feel it until tonight. Going into tonight, the Mariners had already played six games in empty stadiums. Minute Maid Park and Angels Stadium felt a bit eerie (despite the obscene amount of noise the Angels were pumping in), but it was relatively easy to get used to.
Tonight, though. Save your stupid jokes about how the empty stadium felt like any other Mariners game. The meticulously placed cardboard cutouts, perfectly aligned in the outfield like board game pieces, gave the stadium an uncharacteristically robotic feel.
In front of the cutouts, the Mariners ran out Taijuan Walker to go up against the Athletics’ Sean Mannea, in what was a matchup of pitchers trying to get their careers back on track after injuries.