Play Ball! Crews At Camden Yards Making Final Preps For Opening Day
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Four days until Opening Day, and crews are hard at work making sure Oriole Park is ready. There is a lot left to do.
Linh Bui has all the last minute preps.
Crews started working on February 24, but the never-ending winter made their jobs much more difficult.
A beautiful day at the ballpark for some final Opening Day preparations.
"I'm really happy with the way it looks," said Nicole McFayden, Orioles head groundskeeper.
WJZ checked in with McFayden. There is still plenty on her to-do list: Hosing down seats, putting up ads, making sure every edge is perfect and setting up the MLB Opening Day logo.
Crews will probably be working up until the last minute, fine-tuning every single detail to make sure the ballpark is perfect for Opening Day.
Crews have been putting in more hours than usual because Mother Nature has not been a friend. The brutal winter did a number on the field.
"It's the night temperatures being in the 20s that really took a toll on the field and made it go into a longer dormancy than last year or the year before. So it's been really tough to bring it back out and realize that it is spring, and, let's go," McFayden said.
They've been cutting the grass and feeding the ground to get the field in tip-top shape, but rain in the forecast could delay their work.
"Any time it snows or rains, it's pushing a day of work back for me and getting out here and taking advantage of a clear day is crucial," McFayden said.
But come Opening Day, McFayden is confident everything will be ready.
"We've been waiting for this for a month and a half now to get out there for Monday, so, can't wait," she said.
Another challenge is leveling the ground because it's frozen and thawed so many times over the winter.
Opening Day is Monday. The Orioles start the season hosting the world champion Boston Red Sox at Camden Yards.
Coverage begins at 2 p.m. You can watch the game live on WJZ-TV.
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