In the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t that big of a deal. But during the worst global pandemic in over a century and with all professional sports already or very close to being completely shut down, it was a huge deal and exactly what we needed – crowd noise.

Obviously, it wasn’t like the real thing, but when you toss in PA announcer Todd Leitz, the great walk-up music of D.J. Severe, and top it off with the best organist on the planet in Dieter Ruhle, it was as close as you can possibly get to the real thing at a fan-less Dodger Stadium and made us realize just how much we missed it.

“Umm … well, I tend to be pretty loud, so I don’t like the fact that everybody can hear me when I talk on the field,” kidded popular super-utility Kiké Hernandez during his Zoom press conference on Wednesday. “But I think [the silence] is an advantage when you’re playing defense, and you can actually get a clearer sound of the crack of the bat, especially when you’re playing outfield. You know whether it’s a bad or barely hit ball or getting jammed or hitting it off the end.

“But I have yet to hear the crowd noise; I wasn’t here when they were auditioning the fake crowd. But I guess I think we’re going to hear it tonight, hopefully, and I guess I’ll be able to answer that question whenever I hear it for the first time,” added Hernandez.

Judging by the positive (and numerous) comments on social media during Wednesday night’s Dodgers vs. Dodgers intrasquad game, the piped-in crowd noise was a big hit!

…no pun intended.

Play Ball!

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