While fans initially will not be permitted in the stands at Chicago Cubs and White Sox home games when the coronavirus-delayed MLB season begins next month, area baseball junkies won’t need to travel far to get their fix.
The Chicago Dogs, an independent-league team based in Rosemont, announced Wednesday that they will be playing their home games at Impact Field in the northwest suburb — and a limited number of fans can attend. The home opener is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. July 7 against the Milwaukee Milkmen.
The Dogs originally had planned
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to play at Franklin Field, home of the Milkmen. The American Association of Independent Professional Baseball had devised a “hub city” system in which teams would share a home base in states with more liberal reopening rules.But Illinois will enter phase four of its reopening plan Friday, allowing outdoor spectator sports to resume at 20% capacity — with concessions permitted with restrictions. While the team is working with state and local officials before it sets a limit on spectators, the capacity of Impact Field is 6,300, meaning roughly 1,260 fans would be allowed.
“We’re thrilled to be playing baseball, and especially in front of our fans at Impact Field,” Chicago Dogs owner Shawn Hunter said in a news release. “This positive news will help all of us kick off the summer celebration.”
The Dogs’ 60-game season begins July 3 against the Milkmen in Milwaukee. The team said in a release that it has “an extensive COVID-19 readiness plan in place for Impact Field that is being regularly updated in accordance with CDC and state guidelines.”
The team’s plan, in part, says fans might be subject to temperature checks before entry and required to wear face masks, as determined by state and local guidelines. The plan also calls for the team to revise its seating to allow for proper social distancing.
Meanwhile, three other Chicago-area minor-league teams — the Schaumburg Boomers, Joliet Slammers and Windy City Thunderbolts, based in Crestwood — learned Wednesday that their season was canceled. The Frontier League announced it suspended its season because of “ongoing gathering and travel restrictions in many of our locations.”