File Photo / Jim Neuger
"I can't wait to see all of my friends back at Hadlock Field," Slugger the Sea Dog told Mainebiz through an interpreter.
Updated: March 31, 2021
Portland Sea Dogs OK'd to play ball with 28% capacity at Hadlock Field
Photo / Jim Neuger
Hadlock Field is set to reopen on May 4, exactly 610 days since the baseball team last played a game. This photo was taken on what would have been opening day in April 2020.
The Portland Sea Dogs will reopen Hadlock Field to fans this spring at 28% capacity after getting a green light from state officials on the plan, the Minor League Baseball team announced Tuesday.
"We could not be more excited to safely welcome back our employees, fans, and players to Hadlock Field," the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox said in a news release.
The news comes a little more than month before the May 4 home opener against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. It will take place 610 days after the Sea Dogs last played a game before canceling the 2020 season because of the pandemic.
"As we enter the 2021 season, we have worked with the state of Maine on a reopening plan that will put us at 28% capacity (2,087 fans) to start the season," the Sea Dogs said in Tuesday's announcement. "This reduction in attendance will help us achieve our first priority: ensuring the safety of our employees, fans and players."
The team aims to meet those goals by organizing the ballpark into seating pods ranging from sets of two to eight seats each, with pods spaced at least 6 feet apart.
The 28% limit is equivalent to 2,087 attendees in the 7,368-capacity stadium. Average paid attendance in 2019 was 5,677 per game.
"We can't wait to welcome fans back to Hadlock," Chris Cameron, the team's vice president for communications and fan experience, told Mainebiz.
Asked how the 28% cap was decided, he said it allows for maximum number of fans Hadlock can accommodate while allowing for 6 feet of physical distancing between parties.
Tickets for May games are scheduled to go on sale to the general public on April 14 at noon. No on-site ticket sales will be permitted to start the season, and Sea Dogs' season ticket members will have a priority opportunity to buy tickets before sales open to the general public.
To allow for potential changes to capacity limits, the team will sell tickets on a month-to-month basis starting in April for May games, and continuing in May for June games, June for July games, and so on.
The team plans to release a promotional schedule in the same month-to-month format.
The schedule will use color coding to guide fans, with green denoting when tickets will be honored via normal procedures, yellow for reduced capacity and red for when Hadlock Field is closed for health or safety reasons.
Team mascot Slugger, a spirited presence whose antics include dancing to "YMCA" at games, couldn't be more excited about the upcoming baseball season.
Though he speaks only in gestures and other non-verbal communication, he told Mainebiz via an interpreter, "I can’t wait to see all of my friends back at Hadlock Field."
Find the full season schedule here.
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