Joliet Slammers’ home opener defies rainy weather

Rain threatened but did not stop the Joliet Slammers from starting the team’s home opener on Friday.

The Slammers were able to start the game on schedule at 7:05 p.m. after a break in the rain that had fallen for much of the afternoon.

“We’re excited to have fans back and playing at DuPage Medical Group Field,” General Manager Heather Mills said. “We’re happy that the weather held off.”

The team had a unique one-game home stand in the second of a four-game series that would return to the Windy City Thunderbolt’s home field in nearby Crestwood on Saturday and Sunday.

Mills said both the Slammers and Thunderbolts sought home stands for the Memorial Day weekend, and the Frontier League accommodated them both a little by splitting the opening series between Joliet and Crestwood.

Weather forecasts are better for Tuesday when the Slammers are back in Joliet for the start of a six-game home stand.

Mills said it was good to be back to a Frontier League season, which was called off last year. The Slammers in 2020 still hosted baseball and fans with a unique four-team tournament for eight weeks all in Joliet.

“Most importantly, we figured out how to have baseball with fans in a safe fashion,” Mills said. “With vaccination rates going up and positivity rates going down, we think it’s going to be even safer this year.”

Pandemic precautions put in place at the ballpark are likely to be adjusted throughout the year, Mills said.

For now, the Slammers want fans to wear masks.

“We want everybody to feel safe,” Mills said.

The team has made one adjustment and is no longer requiring debit and credit card payments only. Cash lines have been arranged at the box office and concessions.

Attendance is limited by state order to 60% of stadium capacity. Miills said the box office has a “safe fan seating” system that puts a bit of a buffer zone between fans. That, too, can be adjusted depending on the progress in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We just hope people are patient with us as we continue to adjust,” Mills said. “What we’re doing is pretty close to what other teams are doing.”