The Los Angeles Dodgers allowed dog fan cutouts at the 2020 season opener.
The Los Angeles Dodgers allowed dog fan cutouts at the 2020 season opener at Dodger Stadium on Thursday night, July 23.
Last week, according to an email sent to the human who runs the MLBPets account on Twitter (@MLBPets), this was not the case, but thankfully the organization seemed to change its mind, according to LA TV station Fox 11.
For $149, fans can buy a cutout headshot of their pet and have it displayed in Loge sections 143 and 145, which are located in the upper deck in shallow left field, just past third base.
Among the fan cutouts seen were Brad and Kim Paisley, who are friends with ace southpaw pitcher Clayton Kershaw, who was slated to start the matchup with Hunter Pence‘s National League West rival San Francisco Giants, but was scratched a few hours before gametime due to a back issue.
“The cutouts have been a tremendous success and provide a colorful boost to the stadium,” Nichol Whiteman, CEO of the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation, told Fox 11. Proceeds from the fan cutout sales will go to the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation, which is currently working towards COVID-19 relief and the pursuit of racial justice.
If fans, which would of course include baseball dogs, were allowed in attendance, they could probably have appreciated Holland the Pup‘s knowledge of the stadium after taking a tour there last year.
During the actual game itself, which was the first nine-inning contest of the MLB season as the earlier New York Yankees-Washington Nationals contest was called due to rain after six innings, rookie Dustin May took the mound for the 8-1 victory as center fielder Enrique Hernandez banged out four hits and five RBIs.
To cap off an already-bizarre night with no fans in attendance, a rogue birthday balloon decided to crash the party late in the game.
“With the offense we have, we should win a lot of games if they only put up one,” free agent acquisition right fielder Mookie Betts told the LA Dodgers’ website. “Everybody contributes, not one person we rely on, everybody passing the baton. A full-team effort. Can’t ask for anything better than we have here.”
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