When rookie slugger Ryan Mountcastle homered to give the Orioles a seventh-inning lead in Friday night’s 3-1 win over the Cleveland Indians, it was greeted with a roar from the largest crowd he’s ever played in front of at Camden Yards.
Mountcastle could feel that there were more people at the park Friday than in games past, even if it wasn’t by much. And it made a difference.
“There was definitely a lot more people now that it’s full capacity,” said Mountcastle, whose Major League Baseball debut season in 2020 featured empty ballparks across the country due to COVID-19.