The Baltimore Orioles went about their business Wednesday, defeating the Chicago White Sox 8-2, despite no fans inside the gated ballpark, which saw nearby rioting earlier this week.
The first pitch at Camden Yards came shortly after 2 p.m. The game started several hours early to beat the city’s 10 p.m. curfew, imposed Tuesday night in an effort to curb violence. It wrapped up just after 4 p.m.
Despite no fans in the seats, the program for the game apparently continued largely uninterrupted, including music:
Both teams recognized the national anthem:
Orioles catcher Caleb Joseph was seen apparently pantomiming signing an autograph and waving to some of the 47,000 empty seats:
A first-inning home run by Orioles first baseman Chris Davis was hit into the concourse, and without fans to run for the souvenir, it remained there:
Later in the game, Davis threw a ball into the stands, a move that would normally have spectators grabbing and clawing at each other to reach it.
While no fans were allowed into the game,
more than 90 members of the media reportedly filled the press box.
Major League Baseball has previously canceled games after violence, though Wednesday’s game was believed to be the
first time a major baseball game has gone on without a crowd.
The Orioles announced Tuesday afternoon the game would go on, after games Monday and Tuesday were postponed because of the threat of violence.
Baseball fans clashed with demonstrators outside the stadium before and after Saturday’s Orioles game.
“We have a schedule, so we’ve got to get games in,” Chicago second baseman Gordon Beckham said, per
The Associated Press. “We can’t just miss all three games and expect to make them up down the line. I mean, we’ll have no off days for the rest of the year. So we at least have to get this one in.”
“It makes you realize how unimportant, really in a lot of ways, this is, compared to some things that are going on,” said Orioles Manager Buck Showalter. “You try to keep that mind and look at things realistically, where this fits in the scheme of things. You prioritize what’s important, and we tried to do that.”
Protests of the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man, while in police custody turned violent Monday following his funeral, with looting, torched buildings and cars as well as repeated clashes with police.
More than 200 people were arrested Monday night; only 10 were arrested Tuesday following the curfew. Baltimore Police Capt. Eric Kowalczyk said Wednesday that dozens of arrested people still awaited processing.
“Our hope, our sincere hope, is that we see what we saw yesterday, which is people coming together in a peaceful manner and if they so choose voicing their concerns and their frustrations in a way that is reflective of the city of Baltimore and what we’ve seen over the past 24 hours,” he said.
— Ben Kamisar contributed.
— Updated at 4:19 p.m.
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