The Baltimore Orioles entered the week in the thick of an exciting American League playoff race, matched up against the Boston Red Sox in a crucial four-game series at Camden Yards that would go a long way in deciding their postseason fate.
So, why is no one in Baltimore watching?
The Orioles, who entered Wednesday a half game behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the second AL wild-card spot, have gotten surprisingly poor attendance for the first two games of the series Monday and Tuesday.
Attendance at Camden Yards for Red Sox vs. O's last two nights:
M: 18,456
T: 20,387
Average attendance for last-place teams in 2016: 24,907— Jason Mastrodonato (@JMastrodonato) September 21, 2016
It’s a puzzling development, to say the least, as Baltimore isn’t exactly a baseball-starved market. Orioles center fielder Adam Jones was asked Wednesday about Camden Yards’Â low turnout of late and called the situation “not sad, just, like, eerie.”
“I think there are many different sides of it,” Jones said when asked why fans aren’t showing up, via the Baltimore Sun. “Itâs due to school starting, weather — which is understandable — and danger, which I donât see. I understand but I donât necessarily see that.”
Jones refrained from calling out Baltimore fans for their lack of support, but he didn’t completely let them off the hook, either.
“Iâm not going to say Iâm disappointed,” Jones said. “… We grind and grind and grind. I understand. Thereâs a lot of factors to it. The tickets are a little higher, but you can bring in your own food and beverages. You take in the marketing, promotions, Iâm sure theyâre not the best.
“I get all that, but Iâm saying, the city wanted a winner. The last five years weâve gotten a winner. I donât know if theyâve gotten complacent on us from winning. I hope they havenât, because winning is fun every single year. Being in this race is very exciting every single year.”
Jones also had some interesting comments about other playoff contenders — like the Red Sox — who have enjoyed much better attendance numbers.
“Every place you go, the fans are going to be there,” he added. “You go to Detroit, they were there for them. Boston, which is one of the most desirable places to be at anyway, so theyâre there. I know when we go on the road to Toronto, you know theyâre going to be there. Theyâve been there since the trade deadline last year.”
The Orioles have a good chance of making the playoffs for the third time in just 19 years, so hopefully fans will heed Jones’ call and give their club a bit more support down the stretch.
Thumbnail photo via Evan Habeeb/USA TODAY Sports Images
