As MLB teams prepare for Opening Day of the 2020 season, many expect players to face an adjustment playing games in front of fans. While it might be an adjustment for some, New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo says the Miami Marlins helped him prepare for this.
When the Mets take the field on Friday for their Opening Day game at Citi Field, they won’t see any real fans in the seats. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic forcing teams to play in empty stadiums, players will be on the field with artificial crowd noise and no one in the stands.
It will certainly be a strange experience for many players, but apparently not Nimmo. When asked about what it would be like playing in a vacant Citi Field, Nimmo delivered a crushing shot to the Marlins.
Nimmo’s shot is made even better by first saying it wasn’t meant to knock against Miami. The moment the Marlins heard that, they knew what was coming.
In Nimmo’s defense, attendance at Marlins Park was dreadful this past season. The Marlins ranked last in average attendance (10,016) and were the only team in MLB not to crack 1,000,000 total fans at their stadium all year.
There are plenty of baseball fans in Miami, but the team’s ownership and the front office has put a product on the field that no one wants to see. At least it prepared Nimmo, along with other players, for playing in an empty ballpark.
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