The MLB World Series is coming to a close, and with it, the entire baseball season.

This year, the Atlanta Braves outmatched the Houston Astros 4-2 in the series, with pitcher Max Fried striking out six batters in the final game to win the Braves’ first World Series since 1995.

These games have been the first attendable World Series since 2019, and though it may seem like just a game, the lack of baseball due to COVID has had detrimental effects on sports fans everywhere.

An average of 70,000,000 people go to MLB games every year, making it the third most attended American sport. Then suddenly those numbers went to 0. This left many people wishing they were back in the bleachers.

Players were also affected by the lack of fans in the seats cheering them on.

“It’s different,” Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson said when asked how the game will change with the lack of fans. “Obviously, everything’s gonna be different.” (As reported by ESPN)

This activity of watching baseball live has been an American tradition for decades, and many people are glad to have it back.

After last season’s total attendance of zero people, the Los Angeles Dodgers had an average of 34,625 fans in seats per game this year. This not only helps the players, but many students here at CHS have enjoyed baseball this year.

“I liked it,” said baseball fan Brooke Matusik (‘23), who went to Comerica Park to watch a game between the Detroit Tigers and the Cleveland Indians. “It was really high energy. It was a lot of fun. People were getting really excited and were hoping to see their team win.”