Workers tend to the grass in the outfield as the San Francisco Giants hold media day introducing new food and beverage options and in game entertainment at Oracle Park in San Francisco, CA., on Thursday, March 21, 2024. (Scot Tucker / SFBay.ca)
Reporting from ORACLE PARK
As the San Francisco Giants prepare for their April 5 home opener against the San Diego Padres, the organization announced a flurry of new improvements to Oracle Park for the 2024 campaign.
For their 25th season in the ballpark at 3rd and King, the Giants will have added $400 million in guaranteed contracts during the offseason — Korean star Jung Hoo Lee, regaining National League Cy Young winner Blake Snell, All-Star third baseman Matt Chapman, World Series MVP Jorge Soler and former American League Cy Young winner Robbie Ray are among the new additions to the roster.
Giants President and CEO Larry Baer said the offseason moves have contributed to “good and rising” ticket sales, especially with the recent signings of Chapman and Snell. Baer says the home opener is an expected sellout, though team performance will go a long way to lifting attendance from an average 30,866 fans per game, near the all-time low for the waterfront ballpark.
Despite improving their roster between the lines, the Giants recently found themselves in a public relations nightmare after parting ways with longtime public address announcer Renel Brooks-Moon. In a statement released last week, the Giants said they “amicably agreed to part ways” after extended negotiations.
In an effort to fill Brooks-Moon’s shoes, the organization will open up the season using a rotating cast of voices over the Oracle Park public address system as they search for a permanent replacement in a search they’ll soon begin.
Larry Baer, Giants president and CEO, said:
“She’s been a Forever Giant in every way. … Similar to the players, she’s an icon. She’s been an inspirational voice for generations of players, fans — an ambassador for the Giants.”
Baer says the team will name the public address booth in her honor at an upcoming regular season game.
In an announcement last season, the Giants announced that they’ll play a special regular season game against the St. Louis Cardinals on June 20 at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama — the oldest professional baseball stadium in the United States. Rickwood was also formerly the home field for Giants legend Willie Mays, who started his professional career with the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues.
Baer said:
“It’s an opportunity for us to continue to educate our fans, our employees, and our players about the significance of the Negro Leagues. … And the players in the Negro Leagues. There are some that are alive — not that many because the Negro Leagues were in the ’40s.”
It remains uncertain whether Mays, who will celebrate his 93rd birthday in May, can journey to Birmingham for the game, though the Giants will ensure representation by dispatching participants from the Willie Mays Scholars program.
Several key anniversaries will be recognized throughout the season at Oracle Park.
Giants Hall of Fame broadcaster Jon Miller will be celebrating his 50th MLB season in the booth — 28th with San Francisco — and the team will be honoring him throughout the season. The Junior Giants, the youth baseball program established by the team’s community fund, is celebrating their 30th anniversary in 2024. After starting with 19 leagues and 4,000 players during their first season, the program has accumulated 86 leagues featuring over 25,000 players throughout California and in surrounding areas.
The Giants will celebrate their 10-year reunion of the 2014 World Series championship team on Aug. 10. A month before that unforgettable group converges, the “Core Four” —Javier Lopez, Santiago Casilla, Jeremy Affeldt and Sergio Romo — will be inducted into the Wall of Fame. The July 13 ceremony will reward the first 20,00 fans with Mt. Rushmore-styled statues of the relievers.
One of the key upgrades the Giants unveiled around Oracle Park is enhanced sound and light systems.
The stadium’s sports lights will feature 12 new moving LED fixtures with full-color spectrum capabilities mounted along the upper rim of Oracle Park, which now holds the title of being the first MLB ballpark equipped with an on-field spotlight.
Rachel Heit, the Giants chief marketing officer, said:
“It’ll kind of feel similar to an NBA arena experience … Overall, we’re really adding a very, very powerful tool to our in-game entertainment portfolio this year with two objectives. We want to increase the home field advantage for the team as much as possible. And of course, we want to wow the fans.”
While the new sound system’s volume will remain the same, the ballpark added 523 new loudspeakers, 56 amplifiers and updated audio infrastructure. 11 new LED video displays will also be introduced, showcasing 3,500 square feet of capacity for different types of content — even visible for those in McCovey Cove.
New food and beverage offerings will be available this season as the organization has partnered with Aramark which will be operating as Diamond 58.
Aramark replaced Fedele Bauccio and Bon Appétit, who have been partnered with Oracle since the ballpark’s opening in 2000.
Alison Birdwell, President and CEO of Aramark Sports and Entertainment, said:
“Our commitment to creating an ultra-premium environment every step of the way is what drives us forward. 2024 will bring no shortage of innovative offerings that immerse guests in the extraordinary.”
Many new flavors will abound around the ballpark, such as the Fuku, a spicy chicken featuring their fuku sauce — that’ll also have a tenders option if one differs from the brioche bun.
Cove Crab Noodles features Dungeness Crab and green tea soba noodles tossed in a vinaigrette garnished with a cilantro spicy chili crunch. For dessert, a new Waffle Mitt Sundae in a Giants souvenir helmet that touts vanilla ice cream, topped with an Oreo crumble and fresh waffle glove.
Baer said:
“The brand we’re creating with Aramark reflects our focus on premium hospitality and the guest experience … Don’t worry, we’ve got everything coming back, crab sandwiches, Orlando’s Cha Cha Bowl is still here — garlic fries not going anywhere.”
Iowayna Peña, Director of Real Estate and Development, announced on Thursday the organization has continued construction on Mission Rock, a 28-acre mixed-use development aimed to enhance the ballpark and neighborhood experience.
The 20-acre community will be replacing Lot A, consisting of nearly 1,200 housing units and 200,000 square feet of retail services.
Visa, who’s been partnered with the organization since 2007, will be moving into their new global and North American headquarters on the third floor of The Canyon’s building.
Amongst the new developments, the neighborhood seeks to pay homage to notable figures in baseball. A statue of the late Toni Stone, a former member of the Negro League San Francisco Sea Lions and the first woman to play in an all-male major league, will be erected between Dr. Maya Angelou and Toni Stone Crossing.
The famous 9-foot Willie McCovey statue taken down in 2020 will be brought out out of storage and returned to its original spot across from the five acre China Basin Park opening to the public later this spring.
Peña said:
“We look forward to this being a really new and beautiful central public gathering space … Five acres of waterfront space that folks will be able to come into and enjoy both on game days and not just across from McCovey Cove here, we’re looking forward to this being a regional destination for people coming down to this end of the city.”
Last modified March 25, 2024 12:19 pm
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