The Baltimore Orioles sit 12 games over .500, find themselves in the thick of an AL Wild Card spot, yet for unknown reasons, fans aren’t filling the seats at Camden Yards.
In the team’s biggest series of the season, a four-game matchup against AL East-leading Boston, the Orioles have drawn fewer than 60,000 fans combined for the first three games of the series. The listed capacity of Camden Yards is just under 46,000.
Center fielder Adam Jones is wondering what gives with the attendance woes this season.
“We’re going out there busting our tails,” he told the Batlimore Sun before Wednesday’s game against the Boston Red Sox. “The fans’ impact at Camden Yards is unbelievable. I think they know that. I think they understand that. The players understand that. Obviously, this week and this last homestand, this last 11 games, are arguably the most important games of the season. We’ve fought our tails off for 150 games to put ourselves into a unique situation in September. That’s what you say, you want to play important September baseball, and part of September baseball, especially if you’re in the East, is the fans.”
Jones called the absence of fans “not sad, just, like, eerie.”
The Orioles currently occupy the second Wild Card spot in the AL. Baltimore has serious talent and excitement on its roster with Jones, Manny Machado, Chris Davis and MLB home run leader Mark Trumbo. Are they a perfect team? No. But, considering, as of now, they teeter on a playoff birth, you’d think fans would show up.
On the bright side for the Orioles, this will be their fifth straight season of drawing at least two million fans after four seasons in a row under two million. However, their ranking has dropped from eighth in the American League to tenth this season.
Jones’ comments will be taken too personally, as were his comments about baseball being a white man sport, but they ring true. Orioles fans aren’t showing up when the team needs them most. That’s problematic. Hopefully, Jones comments encourage Baltimore fans to fill the seats, otherwise, I’m not sure what else will.
