The Dodger Stadium gates swung open at 2:30 p.m. and chaos quickly ensued.
Droves of fans clad in blue and white raced in, hitting venue entrances with speed.
But for many who arrived at Chavez Ravine with tickets to Los Angeles’ season-opener against the Diamondbacks on Thursday, the first order of business was not to secure a good spot to see Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman or Mookie Betts.
No, it was to get into team merchandise stores.
Within an hour of the venerable ballpark’s opening, nearly every shop containing Dodgers gear had a line that was hard to see the end of.
One specific one behind right field appeared endless, although for Dodgers diehard Andrew Martinez, it was a wait that was necessary.
The superfan, decked out in a white and gold Kiké Hernández jersey, told The California Post he simply had to have some of the rare Born x Raised Dodgers gear that was released this offseason.
“I tried to go online,” Martinez said, “but it was all sold within five minutes, two minutes. I was only able to get one shirt out of the about 12 things they dropped. So, that’s why we’re in line.”
Martinez said he was specifically eyeing the Clayton Kershaw tee that the brand put out, even if it meant he and his pal had to stand for around 45 minutes to get their hands on it.
“My buddy’s already getting on me, like, ‘Hey let’s go. Let’s go have some fun. Let’s go talk to people,’” Martinez said. “But I’m like, ‘Look, let’s just do this. All right?’”
Other fans told The Post they were patiently waiting for the opportunity to buy collector pins and Hello Kitty-branded items.
For those lucky enough to move in and out of the stores, getting to seats still didn’t appear to be priority.
Food and drink stands seemed to be the next stop for many, with hundreds antsy to get their hands on some of the new Opening Day offerings — which included bone marrow tacos, watermelon habanero margaritas and the $24.99 “Loco Moco Bowl.”
The game eventually got underway around 5:30 p.m. following fireworks, a flyover and a loud rendition of the national anthem.
Fans in the stands all appeared giddy to see the Dodgers start their quest for a third-straight title — especially those who had full bellies and some new merch at their side.
/
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
