California Gov. Gavin Newsom says the state could see pro sports return by the first week of June without fans. pic.twitter.com/j4PPg56Yn7
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) May 18, 2020
The welcome mat that Arizona rolled out for the Giants will be extended from California, as well.
If the positive trends the Giants’ home state has seen regarding the coronavirus continue, Oracle Park will be open for baseball — at least for the team, if not for the fans.
During a Monday news conference, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that if baseball indeed is able to hold a version of a season, California should be able to participate.
Pro sports will be allowed “in that first week or so of June without spectators,” Newsom said, adding that there would need to be “modifications and very prescriptive conditions” to the games, which MLB is exploring.
“… A number of other sectors of our economy will open up if we hold these trend lines in the next number of weeks.”
The trend lines being a 7.5 percent decline in hospitalizations and 8.7 percent decline in the number of ICU patients statewide, the governor said.
Baseball has been targeting mid-June for a potential second spring training and early July for the start of a season that is being held up by negotiations between the owners and Players Association. It is possible the two sides do not reach a pact, but so much (more) money would be lost, with commissioner Rob Manfred saying MLB could be out $4 billion.
It is not clear where the Giants would prefer to hold spring training; Scottsdale is their spring home, and Arizona already announced that it welcomes sports teams back. Playing spring ball in San Francisco may be more challenging, as the facilities are not as expansive, but they undoubtedly would like as much practice on their home field as possible.