The boom is back.
And so are the fans.
The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp announced that the club's first Triple-A baseball season will begin with a 45 percent capacity at 121 Financial Ballpark, while the team's popular fireworks promotions will expand from their usual Fridays to include multiple Saturdays.
Single-game ticket sales begin April 21.
After a year and a half without baseball, the moment was sweet for Jumbo Shrimp owner Ken Babby.
"We've waited for this moment for so many months, so many starts and stops through all aspects of the pandemic," Babby said. "To be here now, it's a really special moment."
The season opener, scheduled for May 4 after a delay of four weeks, would be the first Jumbo Shrimp ballgame since the end of August 2019. The team's 2020 season, along with the rest of minor league baseball, was wiped out by the coronavirus pandemic.
Now, they're back with a new level — the Jumbo Shrimp moved to Triple-A in the offseason as part of Major League Baseball's reorganization of the minors — and a new sense of appreciation for being back on the diamond.
General manager Harold Craw said the team will also hold fireworks displays for each home Saturday game in May and June, in addition to two select dates later in the year. The team was host to several fireworks events in 2020.
Based on the listed capacity of 11,000, the Jumbo Shrimp would be able to accommodate slightly less than 5,000 fans under the capacity cap.
Meanwhile, the franchise expects to keep protocols in place in an effort to make further progress against the pandemic.
Not every reference to chopping wood in Jacksonville's sports history brings back positive memories — but Craw reached for one when describing the franchise's mindset.
"It's like we're all like Paul Bunyan," Craw said. "We just continue to chop, right? And at some point, that tree's going to fall. As long as we continue to chop, we'll get to that point."
Babby said fans older than age 2 would be required to wear masks when not eating and drinking in their seats at the season's start, following MLB protocols, and said that distancing measures like pod seating and required spacing at concession stands will continue for now.
Babby said the team hopes to expand from the 45 percent capacity as the season progresses, based on guidance from state and local health authorities.
Asked about whether MLB had indicated that some COVID-19 restrictions might be relaxed if a sufficient percentage of players are vaccinated against the disease, Craw said he hadn't yet received instructions from the league.
The Jumbo Shrimp also announced that ESPN 690 will serve as the team's broadcast partner for 2021, and named Jacksonville-based FIS as the team's presenting sponsor on a five-year agreement.
FIS president Bruce Lowthers said that one penny of every ballpark transaction this year, up to a maximum of $10,000, will be donated to one of four organizations supporting STEM education and financial inclusion.
Photos: Jacksonville’s Wolfson Park
The promotional calendar, Craw said, is still taking shape. Several Saturday giveaways, however, are already in place, beginning with a Stone Garrett bobblehead on May 8. Others include Vice Night Hawaiian Shirt night on June 12, the Jumbo Shrimp Left-Handed Cereal Bowl on Aug. 13 and a Jacksonville Red Caps fedora in honor of the city's former Negro Leagues ballclub on July 24.
However, Babby said that at this time there will not be promotions that involve fans entering the field itself.
"Are we allowed to use the word normal yet?" Craw said. "It feels more normal than we've had over these past X number of months."
The Link LonkApril 13, 2021 at 03:14AM
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Jumbo Shrimp plan 45 percent capacity limit; fireworks displays to expand - The Florida Times-Union
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