During Wednesday’s “Turn Back the Clock Night” at Harbor Park, fans jammed the concourse so much with crisscrossing concessions lines that it was nearly impossible to walk from one end of the stadium to the other.
An announced crowd of 10,213 — the third-largest of the season so far — watched as the Norfolk Tides scored seven times after the fifth inning in a 12-5 win over Charlotte to open the second half of the International League season.
It was another double victory for the Tides, who once again won both on the field and at the gate.
If Harbor Park has seemed more crowded this season, that’s because it is. Entering the weekend, attendance was up 26% over 2022, a testament to the value of putting a good product on the field, post-COVID consumer confidence and plain old good luck.
The prospect-laden Tides won the first-half league title going away. Fans who might have been reluctant to walk among a crowd as the pandemic waned now appear ready to mingle.
And the Tides have had just four weekend games — key home openings that drive revenue — affected by weather.
“Winning definitely helps,” Tides GM Joe Gregory said. “The more we win, the more media and people are tweeting about us or sharing about us in social media. So I think that exposure definitely helps. Good luck always helps, when we get lucky with the weather and things like that.
“There’s a lot of variables in the equation, but so far, they’re all lining up to a good result.”
Through 38 home games this season, the Tides were drawing an average of 5,791 fans per contest. That’s an increase of roughly 1,200 per game in the same span last season.
Wednesday’s game, admittedly, was a bit of an anomaly. The throwback nights feature 50-cent hot dogs and soft drinks, among other promotions, and they always draw well.
The Tides sold more than 25,000 hot dogs that night as fans watched top pitching prospect Grayson Rodriguez turn in six strong innings in his ongoing quest to return to the parent Baltimore Orioles.
Rodriguez, a 23-year-old right-hander, couldn’t help but notice the extra bustle.
“That’s pretty spectacular for a Wednesday night,” he said. “It’s the summer. I’m glad that a lot of people are coming out and watching the games. Baseball’s a summertime sport, so I’m glad to see that the fans are enjoying it.”
Norfolk manager Buck Britton, a former utilityman who played for the Tides as recently as 2014, has seen his share of slow nights at the vast venue.
Britton said the recent boost in attendance has helped his players.
“This is a pretty big stadium when there’s nobody in it,” he said. “I’ve definitely been hearing comments (from the players), especially on Tuesday nights, Wednesday nights, Thursday day games at noon. They’re bringing in good crowds, and I think the guys notice it. There’s energy in the ballpark, which as the home team wherever it is, when you get the crowd behind you, man, it does give you a little boost.”
The 2020 minor league season was canceled because of COVID. In 2021, teams played with attendance restrictions that allowed for social distancing and proper spacing of seats.
Gregory said the Tides might be benefitting from “a bit of a snowball effect coming out of COVID.”
“I think once everything was perceived as being safe, I think there is a pent-up demand for people wanting to get out,” he said. “And maybe people didn’t feel as safe going to indoor events, but outdoor events maybe are a little bit more palatable to people that still have some lingering effects. So I think having a product on the field in an outdoor environment where people are more comfortable has really contributed to increased attendance.”
Local government is also reaping benefits. A 10% admission tax, which is included in the price of each ticket, goes to the city, as does 100% of parking revenue outside of a couple of lots owned by the Tides.
And then there’s the obvious bump in concessions and merchandise revenue that the Tides have enjoyed this season.
“It’s all correlated,” Gregory said. “The more people in house, the more hats are going to be sold, the more beers are going to be sold. So it’s good across the board as far people coming in here.”
Rodriguez has worked his way up from the bottom rung of the minors to the top since the Orioles drafted him 11th overall in 2018. That means he’s pitched in front of crowds both large and small, the latter of which can be challenging at times.
“Definitely, there’s a little bit less adrenaline. I’m not going to lie,” Rodriguez said. “So the more fans, the better. It’s been a lot of fun having the fans in the stands. It’s made for some pretty fun baseball. We’ve been playing some pretty good baseball, so we’re going to try to keep it rolling. And the fans are a big key to that.”
David Hall, [email protected]. Twitter @DavidHallVP.
By the numbers
The Tides have averaged 5,791 fans through 38 home games this season, which is up about 1,200 from this point last season. But in 12 home games in June, the average was 7,204.
