Opening day is here, even if it won’t be completely normal

Brian Campbell knew the crowd for the opening day game at Nationals Park on Thursday was capped at 5,000 because of pandemic concerns, so he wasn’t expecting to score tickets. But when he logged onto the website last week, he clicked April 1 — just in case the unthinkable was possible.

There they were: two seats in right field.

“I was super pumped, and I was scared that somehow the servers were overloaded, almost like a [PlayStation 5] situation,” the Hagerstown, Maryland, resident said. “Everyone’s trying to get one. You have it in your cart. And then it freezes up and it’s gone.”

The fear didn’t materialize. Mr. Campbell and his wife will be among the chosen few, scattered throughout a socially distanced stadium, watching and cheering in person as Max Scherzer takes the mound to lead the Nationals against the New York Mets.

With high demand for opening day tickets across the country, resale value has skyrocketed. Season ticket holders like Mr. Campbell wouldn’t dream of selling their seats, not after missing out on the 2020 season. But there are fans who snagged seats looking to cash in.

According to StubHub, the cheapest Nationals ticket on the resale market is going for $375. An upper-deck seat at Petco Park in San Diego will cost a Padres fan about $150, and an infield 100-level seat at New York’s Yankee Stadium tops $300. Seeing the Boston Red Sox up close at Fenway Park will cost $200 or more.

Worth every penny, baseball-starved fans say.

“It’s something I feel like I need for my soul,” said Erica Reynosa, a Nationals season ticket holder since 2007 from Woodbridge, Virginia. “That may make some people laugh. But … not having baseball like I normally would last year would get rough.”

Some things change, some don’t

The 5,000 allowed at Nationals Park is on the low end for the league. In Baltimore, the Orioles will host about 11,000. At Globe Life Field in Texas, which opened last season, the Rangers will welcome 100% capacity for opening day before reducing crowds for subsequent games. Attracting a full house might be optimistic, though, even for a stadium with that new car smell. An exhibition game Monday drew just 12,911 fans.

The District of Columbia originally denied the Nationals’ request to have fans, but city officials relented midway through March. The team plans to negotiate for additional fans to be allowed partway through April.

Opening day might not look like it normally does, with a full ballpark of fans to add to the traditions involved: the singing of the national anthem, the welcoming of new players to the club and unbridled hopes for what might be achieved come fall. But to the Washington fans who were able to get tickets, that’s quite all right.

“Well, shorter lines at the concession stands. That’s one bonus, I suppose,” said William Maksymiec, a deacon for the Archdiocese of Washington who has been a half-season plan holder since 2005. “Knowing Nats fans, though, I’ll be honest with you: We are very vocal. And I think we’ll be very supportive of the team. I don’t think you’re going to feel like it’s a truly empty house.”

For Washington, ticket priority was based on season ticket tenure and plan size. When Mr. Maksymiec logged in to search for available tickets on Wednesday morning last week, he was pleasantly surprised. Out of curiosity, though, Mr. Maksymiec logged online again that night. All the tickets were gone.

“Let’s just say, a very positive response by the fans,” Mr. Maksymiec said. “They moved very quickly.”

Happy New Year’s

On opening day, Ms. Reynosa typically arrives early and makes her way around Nationals Park, greeting all the ushers and fans she missed during the offseason.

“We actually say, ‘Happy New Year’s’ to each other as we go around,” Ms. Reynosa said. “And there’s hugs, and you get excited as you’re seeing people.”

While Nationals fans are excited to watch live baseball again, the communal atmosphere is a major reason why they enjoy going to games. That will be muted this season, at least for the beginning, with a limited quantity of fans and social distancing still in effect for the pandemic.

“It’s just really a fun time to be with friends and also enjoy the game,” Mr. Maksymiec said. “Hopefully, come the end of the year, we might get back to our normal seats — please — with the vaccine coming through.”

Beyond fewer fans in the stands, part of the Nationals’ plan includes several alterations and additions to the park.

Instead of entering whichever gate they choose, fans will have digital tickets with color-coded gate assignments. No cash will be accepted for food or beverages, parking or at team store locations. Hundreds of hand sanitizer stations have been added, and MERV 13 air filters have been installed at indoor locations.

“I’m hopeful that the precautions the Nationals are taking will make it safe,” Ms. Reynosa said, “but I don’t think I would turn down the opportunity [to attend opening day] at this point.”

The real title defense

After the Nationals secured their first World Series title in 2019, they acted like champions. They visited the White House, hosted a parade downtown and rounded out the festivities with second baseman Brian Dozier pulling off his shirt to dance to Pedro Capo’s “Calma.”

A second celebration some months later, with the euphoria of a title bubbling into opening day, was dashed. No fans were there to celebrate with the team, and the planned banner-raising and ring ceremonies were shelved.

Instead, a 2019 pennant was attached above the video board to recognize the previous season’s accomplishment without the traditional fanfare.

“Last year didn’t feel like a real baseball season, if I’m being honest,” said Garrett Lang, who said he has been to just about every opening day since the Nationals moved to the District. “To me, we’re coming off a World Series win going into this season.”

Mr. Lang isn’t alone in that feeling. Washington enters the 2021 campaign with the core from that World Series team intact. Scherzer — who started the pivotal Game 7 against the Houston Astros — is back, as is fellow ace Stephen Strasburg. Ryan Zimmerman returned from a year hiatus, and Trea Turner and Juan Soto have developed into stars.

But plenty of players from that title-winning group have moved on. Those players won’t receive the hero’s welcome that Mr. Campbell said they deserved.

There’s no changing that now, though. So Mr. Campbell will settle for what he does have: the opportunity to return to Nationals Park for the first time since Game 5 of the 2019 World Series. 

He knows he will be emotional as he walks through the gates, makes his way to his seat and watches as Scherzer fires the first pitch of the season.

“I already told my wife, ‘I’ve got to wear some dark sunglasses,’” Mr. Campbell said. “I know it’s a night game, but I’m going to tear up a couple times, for sure.”