'We're Going To Have To Bring Our Own Energy': Orioles Make Intrasquad Games As Real As Possible, Including With Pre-Recorded Crowd Sounds
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The Baltimore Orioles are treating intrasquad games as if they were real as they gear up for the coronavirus-delayed start to the 2020 Major League Baseball season.
Team Orange and Team White took to the field at Camden Yards under the lights Thursday night, just eight days away from their season-opener against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.
While the scoreboard was on and the umpires on the field, there were no fans in the stands. To combat the silence, pre-recorded crowd noises played through stadium speakers.
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde has been a little loose with the rules during the intrasquad games previously, but on Thursday he said they will take on the feel of a regular game.
The games have also given the team a preview of what it will be like to play in empty stadiums once the season begins next week.
"It's definitely going to be strange," Hyde said. "I think it's going to be easy to talk on the field, it's going to be easy communication and pop-ups and those type of things shouldn't ever be an issue because you really can hear everything."
Given the extraordinary circumstances, Hyde said the team will do the best it can, adding every other team in the league faces similar challenges.
"It's not ideal," he said. "We're going to have to bring our own energy for sure."
The Orioles will also play intrasquad games on Friday and Saturday before playing three exhibition games beginning Sunday in Philadelphia.
