DETROIT – Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office released a statement about the number of fans who will be allowed to attend Detroit Tigers games this season at Comerica Park.
As of right now, the Tigers can have just 1,000 fans at the park under the most recent Michigan Department of Health and Human Services pandemic order.
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While it will be great to have any fans at games after last season, 1,000 fans is just 2.4% of Comerica Park’s official capacity of 41,083.
Many believe that number is too low, especially for an outdoor venue. Restaurants, bars, retail shops, casinos and more are allowed to fill to a much higher percentage of their maximum capacity, despite being indoors.
Here is a statement from Whitmer’s office, sent to Local 4 on Monday morning via email:
“From the beginning of the pandemic, our top priority has been the health and safety of Michiganders. In the lead up to Opening Day, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has been in close discussion with the Tigers and the team at Comerica Park to find a safe path forward to expand capacity limits at the stadium. Given our success during the pause to save lives and expansion of vaccine eligibility, we feel confident that our state is making tremendous strides to get back to normal as quickly as possible. There’s nothing more exciting than fans rooting for the Tigers at a home game, and we look forward to making that happen very soon.”
There’s no promise of increased capacity in that statement, but it sounds like the Tigers are at least making their case for upping that 1,000-person maximum. Many other MLB teams will have larger crowds when the season arrives.
Detroit will host the Cleveland Indians on April 1 for Opening Day at Comerica Park. After an off day April 2, the Tigers are scheduled to play home games at 1:10 p.m. every day between April 3 and April 7 before their first road trip.
The Detroit Tigers issued the following statement regarding capacity at Comerica Park
“In the coming days, we look forward to announcing more details on increased capacity for Opening Day and beyond at Comerica Park.
For the past several months, we have been coordinating with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, public health and medical experts, government officials, Major League Baseball, and leading venues throughout the country, to develop a comprehensive plan that will allow fans to confidently and safely return to the ballpark for the 2021 Detroit Tigers regular season.
We appreciate the passion, patience, and resilience of Tigers fans and expect to soon announce more details on increased ticket availability.”