Some lawmakers in Michigan would like to see more fans in the stands for Opening Day at Comerica Park for the Detroit Tigers.
Opening Day is April 1 and as of the latest restrictions, 1,000 fans will be allowed.
According to WXYZ, the ABC station in Detroit, the Detroit Tigers released a statement indicating that discussions were underway with the state and medical experts on possibly increasing capacity ahead of Opening Day.
“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.”
The governor's office also released a statement saying:
"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," the governor's office said in a statement.
The West Michigan Whitecaps are also hoping for an expansion to attendance capacity. Marketing Director Steve VanWagoner says the team would like to have around 2,500 fans inside the park, about 25% of the total capacity.
"We're in an open air space, we've got lots of capacity room to move people around," says VanWagoner. "We've got lots of experience and leadership and lots of things that we learned last summer."
The Whitecaps home opener is on May 11.
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