SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Tonight will see a few firsts for the Friars: their first home game since Joe Musgrove threw the first-ever no-hitter in Padres history. Their first time this season facing their division rivals the Dodgers. And the first time with a home game in the state's orange reopening tier.
ABC 10News caught up with Ben Higgins and Steven Woods, from the Ben and Woods show on 97.3 the Fan, this morning as they weighed in on the significance of this game.
"After this off-season hype about how good this Padres team is, how good this Dodger team is that won the World Series. All eyes on baseball are going to be on this series," said Higgins.
RELATED: Padres, Grossmont High unveil Joe Musgrove mural honoring no-hitter
And this will all play out, in front of more fans at Petco Park.
Now, that San Diego County is in the orange tier, the Padres can increase fan capacity and have about 14,000 fans. They will also have select sections in the stadium that will be at 67% capacity for fully vaccinated fans or for anyone with a negative COVID-19 test result 72 hours before the game. Fans must bring a paper or digital copy of proof along with a photo ID.
Ian Smith is a member of the Friar Faithful, who has been searching for tickets to this series.
"It’s sort of finding an opportunity to go but not break the bank to do so because the secondary market is crazy," Smith adds.
RELATED COVERAGE:
- San Diego Padres announce capacity update, other changes at Petco Park
- Scholarship recipients to throw first pitch at Padres game
And in this search, Smith has found some season ticket holders who only want to sell to Padres fans.
"It needs to be filled with Padres fans, it needs to brown and gold everywhere," said Smith.
A sentiment felt among the Friar Faithful.
"Let’s show these guys what it means to have a true home-field advantage," Woods says.
