SAN FRANCISCO — On Tuesday night, Oracle Park was the emptiest it has been all year, at least if announced paid attendance is the closest data point to gospel there is.
The Giants drew 23,545 fans for their series opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks, a few hundred fewer than their previous season-low set on an April Monday against the Mets.
Many fans stuck around for San Francisco’s eighth and ninth inning rallies — which ultimately fell short — and made themselves heard during the comeback efforts. Still, the empty seats, particularly in the bleachers, were noticeable.
“Obviously, you see it, but it is what it is,” 2024 All-Star Heliot Ramos told this news organization. “We’ve got to come out and play.”
Two games into September, San Francisco (68-71) is all but eliminated from postseason contention. The Giants have improved year-over-year in attendance, but if Tuesday night’s showing is the start of a trend for light box office nights, that likely won’t go over well with the Giants’ ownership group.
“They’ve been unbelievably supportive this year,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said Wednesday. “And with some of the stuff we’ve done late in games, they’ve been really loud. Noticeable. Inspiring to everybody here. So I might’ve noticed earlier in the game, but it seems to fill up sometimes – maybe not in the beginning, but it seems to fill up sometimes.”
Melvin wasn’t aware that the series opener marked Oracle Park’s lowest attended game of the season. He has managed teams that draw far fewer fans than 23,545 before, and in fact, the Giants have had a strong showing at the box office in 2024.
Just one game before Tuesday, against the lowly Marlins, the Giants sold out Oracle Park, packing it with 41,187.
Gone are the days of perennial sellout streaks, but the Giants have had the seventh-largest attendance increase in MLB from 2023, according to The Athletic. With an average of 33,620 paid attendance per game, the Giants rank 10th in the sport a year after they ranked 17th.
Since 2021, when the Giants won a franchise record 107 wins, the Giants have had two middling seasons. They’re in danger of a third straight season at .500 or below, with the previous pair of mediocre results drawing attendance averages of 30,650 and 30,866.
This past offseason, San Francisco committed nearly $400 million to the roster via free agency and trades. President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi has stated the goal of playing meaningful September baseball, and the talent on the roster carried even higher expectations than that. But here the Giants are, out of the race once again; in six seasons under Zaidi, San Francisco has reached the playoffs once.
Despite the disappointing season, the Giants have given fans a lot to be excited about. Heliot Ramos broke out from the rubber of organizational depth to become an All-Star. Tyler Fitzgerald went on a historic tear at shortstop. Blake Snell threw a no-hitter and has been one of MLB’s most dominant pitchers in the second half. Grant McCray has been electric at times and Ryan Walker has emerged as a legitimate option to close games.
The Giants have walked 10 games off — tied for their most since 2018 — including three in extra innings. There have been fun moments, and the fans have been there for them.
But in September, without a postseason berth to play for, the moments might have fewer witnesses. And if part of the ownership’s goal, as Greg Johnson infamously said, is to “somewhat break even,” flailing attendance could be a red flag.
“I feel like they’ve showed out really (well),” Ramos said of Giants fans. “I feel like we have a really good fan base. It’s going to happen. I guess we’ve got to play better, I guess.”
Notable
–About an hour before first pitch, the Giants scratched Matt Chapman from the starting lineup. Brett Wisely, initially playing shortstop to give Tyler Fitzgerald a day off, slid over to third and Fitzgerald reclaimed his regular spot at shortstop. Fitzgerald batted cleanup and Grant McCray was the odd-man out in San Francisco’s crowded outfield.
– Jordan Hicks (shoulder) threw about 20 pitches and felt pretty good, Melvin said. Robbie Ray (hamstring) also had two ups, throwing all his pitches. Each will throw another bullpen session Saturday, with Ray increasing his work load. The Giants will monitor their progress before deciding whether to send them on a rehab assignment or returning them to the big-league mound.
– Giants starter Hayden Birdsong entered Wednesday’s game against the Diamondbacks with a 5.14 ERA in 11 starts. In his nine starts against teams other than the last-place Colorado Rockies, that number shoots up to 6.15.