New Mass. rules will allow WooSox to have fans at Opening Day

Photo | Grant Welker Polar Park under construction in Worcester

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By Grant Welker

The first season for Worcester Red Sox at Polar Park got a major boost Thursday when Gov. Charlie Baker said he will allow sports facilities to host a limited number of fans starting March 22.

The WooSox are slated to play their first game at Polar Park on April 13. When the schedule was announced last week, a major unanswered question was whether the stadium would have fans in attendance. Worcester's Massachusetts Pirates will also benefit, with their first home game at the DCU Center set for an unspecified date in May.

Baker said at a press conference Thursday stadiums and arenas across Massachusetts will be able to open for fans in just under a month as long as falling coronavirus case numbers continue to fall rapidly as they have in the past month or more.

Capacity will be limited to 12%. Polar Park has a capacity of 9,500, so if the 12% number remains in effect on the date of the WooSox home opener, that means 1,140 fans can attend the team's inaugural game. The team, whose move to Worcester was announced in 2018, issued a statement on the new guidelines Thursday afternoon.

“The WooSox continue to work closely with public health and government authorities regarding the pandemic precautions and temporary adjustments to ballpark capacity," the team said. "We will take our time and incorporate these new guidelines into our operational planning for April. Safety and cleanliness remain paramount priorities as we complete and open Polar Park.”

Worcester City Manager Edward Augustus said in a regularly scheduled weekly pandemic press conference that the city will balance public health with a desire to return to normal activities.

"We're excited about being able to have any fans," Augustus said. "That'll be a welcome sort of reward for all the sacrifice and all of the efforts that everyone's been putting into this."

Concert venues and similar facilities will be limited to 500 people as part of the same phased reopenings of businesses and venues across the state. Restaurants will also be permitted to host musical performances.

The Boston Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics and the New England Patriots all have played without a home crowd since the pandemic started. The Red Sox are slated to play their first home game at Fenway Park on Apr. 1, while the Bruins and Celtics have seasons ongoing at TD Garden through the spring.

The WooSox, which would have played their final season last year in Pawtucket, R.I., had their 2020 season called off. The Pirates were also unable to play their 2020 season, and another DCU Center team, the Worcester Railers, said they'll sit out this hockey season because of the pandemic.

The WooSox, who will start their season on April 6 with away games, are slated to play 70 home games between April 13 and Sept. 12. All will be played against northeast division opponents: Lehigh Valley, Buffalo Bisons, Syracuse Mets, Rochester Red Wings and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.