Major League Baseball fans will return to ballparks Thursday for Opening Day for the first time in more than a year.
Fans were allowed to attend the 2020 World Series, and there will be restrictions in most stadiums due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. But it will give fans and players a sense of normalcy even though there will be capacity limits for many of them.
But MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is optimistic there will be no restrictions come the summer.
"I hope by midsummer that we have ballparks that are unrestricted and we have full fan access," Manfred told the Associated Press on Wednesday.
"I see this season as a huge opportunity for baseball," he added. "We're an outdoor sport. I think it's safe or safer to go to outdoor activities. Everybody seems to agree on that. And I think that there's pent-up demand for entertainment products, and we're going to do everything we possibly can to take the best opportunity to take advantage of that."
Globe Life Park, home of the Texas Rangers, is the only ballpark to open at 100% capacity. The Houston Astros will have 50% capacity from the jump while the Boston Red Sox will welcome 12% of fans into the park.
Opening Day begins Thursday.
