After a one-year hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the London Majors and Intercounty League Baseball are returning to Labatt Park.
And fans should be able to take in the action as well.
When the Majors play their home opener on July 9 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, around 25 per cent capacity will be able to take in the game live.
Roop Chanderdat, owner and field manager, says they are still fine-tuning the number, but that would mean around 1,000 fans in the stands.
“We did apply to get special permission to play. We’re waiting just to fine-tune things with the city and making sure we know what the capacity is.”
With no IBL season in 2020, and the lack of opportunity to take in a Blue Jays game in Toronto the past two summers, fans are very likely chomping at the bit for some live baseball.
They won’t notice many pandemic-related changes on the field, but players and team staff will need to navigate some behind the scenes.
“A lot of it is regular baseball, except when we’re indoors, when we’re in the clubhouse, we have to wear masks and follow some social distancing. But as far as gameplay goes, it’s regular baseball.”
Chanderdat says players well have staggered arrivals to allow for the necessary distancing in the clubhouse.
“Rather than everyone showing up at the same time, we’ll stagger that out over 30-minute segments.”
Sorting through what they can and can’t do hasn’t been the only challenge facing Chanderdat ahead of the season.
He says bringing in the talent he wants has been more difficult than in other years.
“We’ve lost a few Canadian guys who went to the states to play, just because of the what-ifs around the season,” Chanderdat says.
“My focus has really been at getting the guys back on the field. We’ll have a competitive team. Is it the team I want? No, but we’re most excited to be playing and the boys will figure it out as we go along.”
The Majors will play a 30-game schedule, with 15 of those at Labatt Park. The majority of their home games will be Friday nights, though a few Saturday and Sunday match-ups are sprinkled into the schedule.
The IBL will be down one team for the 2021 season, as the Guelph Royals opted to sit out the summer.
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