WASHINGTON — It might be April Fool's Day, but one thing that isn't a joke -- Nats baseball is officially back in the nation's capital!
The Washington Nationals will be welcoming fans back to their Navy Yard park for their first home game of the season on April 1. The game against the Pittsburgh Pirates will start with the first pitch being thrown out at 4:05 p.m.
But before that the festivities will already be underway. Before the game there will be an appearance by the Budweiser Clydesdales, red carpet player introductions, giant American flag unfurling, live music from 19th Street Band, music from DJ Stylus Chris, caricature artists, face painters, balloon twisters, photo ops and more. Not to mention at the game the first 20,000 fans will receive an Opening Day Reversible Bucket Hat.
All Nats operated parking garages and lots will open at 1 p.m. to welcome fans and gates will open at 2 p.m.
The team also says they are trying to make it faster for people to enter through the gates at Nationals Park with MLB Go-Ahead Entry, a hands-free, frictionless ballpark entry experience. Fans can register for it in the MLB Ballpark app and to use Go-Ahead Entry throughout the 2024 season.
Go-Ahead Entry uses facial authentication technology, allowing people who have opted-in to the service to enter the ballpark at dedicated gates at full walking speed without stopping. At Nationals Park there will be four Go-Ahead Entry lanes during the regular season -- two on the west end of the Center Field Gates, one at the First-Base Gate, and one at the Right Field Gate.
Ticket holders can enroll by logging into the MLB Ballpark app and following the prompts to capture an image of the user's face. When an enrolled fan walks through a Go-Ahead Entry lane, a facial authentication camera scans their face to match it with the enrolled token in the system and then allows access. It can also be used at any park where the service is in place.
And don't worry if you have an entire party of people, the technology will tell gameday staffers how many tickets are associated with an account.
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