SAN FRANCISCO — When Jorge Soler scored Friday night, the Giants managed to get rid of a monkey. They became the last team in the majors to go to their ballpark. But there was still something Giants officials were eager to cross off the list at home.
Through the 10 games played at Oracle Park on Monday, there had been no reason to show off the full capabilities of the new, sophisticated lighting system installed during the offseason. The LED bulbs and 12 floodlights had mostly remained dormant as there hadn’t been a single backup situation for Camilo Doval after dark.
So even with a four-run lead Monday night, with Doval ready to enter in the top of the ninth, the stadium went dark. A moment later, the stadium turned orange. The 24,138 people in attendance quickly turned their confusion into enthusiasm when the bullpen door opened and Doval was illuminated by a grid of spotlights.
“I knew they were going to do the light show, but I didn’t know it was going to look like this,” Doval said in Spanish through interpreter Erwin Higueros. “It looked like a movie. I mean, like a Hollywood kind of thing. I thought, “Wow! »
The Latin-influenced rhythm of its new entrance music, “Bandoleros” by Don Omar, resonated over a sound system also renovated this winter. The speakers installed when the stadium opened in 2000 have been replaced with 523 new ones and 56 additional amplifiers.
“The only thing I chose was music,” Doval said. “I chose this song because I love it above all; it excites me. And it sounds really good on the stadium speakers.
The improvements brought Oracle Park in line with the rest of the league, where flashing LED lights became increasingly common during celebrations and closeout entrances. The unique element to the Giants are the floodlights, something not present in any other ballpark.
Their first practice didn’t go without problems: The stadium lights went out just as Doval took his final warmup pitch into the bullpen. Impressively, bullpen catcher Alec Burg still mustered the 95+ mph heater.
Consider a fan closer than his manager.
“If he likes it, that’s great,” Bob Melvin said after Doval finished the 5-2 win over the Mets. “If the fans like it, that’s what it’s all about.”
When announcing the facility, the Giants touted more uses than just a starter for Doval. They suggested the spotlight might come when a Giants hitter hits a home run at McCovey Cove, although their first of the year – from Patrick Bailey on Saturday – also came in a game of the afternoon.
Keaton Winn, who was watching from a monitor inside the clubhouse after pitching more than six innings, had an idea on how to incorporate the starting pitchers.
“Maybe if we have a good game going into the ninth or something, then we can get some spotlight,” Winn said. “It was so sick. I saw it on TV and I was like, “Oh my God, I wish I was out there for that.” Hopefully they do it more often.
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