Due to protests and riots in Baltimore, the Orioles and White Sox played a game at Camden Yards in front of zero fans Wednesday afternoon. Literally zero. Fans were not allowed into the park for safety reasons. The O's won the game 8-2 (box score).

Watching the game live on television was both surreal and somewhat haunting. The novelty of watching a baseball game in an empty stadium quickly wore off because I remembered why the stadium was empty. The streets of Baltimore are not safe these days.

Wednesday's game was the first game with an official attendance of zero in baseball history. Here are some sights and sounds from the crowd-less game at Camden Yards.

Here's the view of the ballpark at the start of the game:

The top of the first. Camera crews only.
The top of the first. Camera crews only. (USATSI)

There were three people in the stands for the game: scouts on assignment.

O's first baseman Chris Davis launched a three-run home run in the first inning. Here is the call from MASN announcer Gary Thorne and relative silence as Davis rounded the bases:

Now here is the call from White Sox announcer Hawk Harrelson. Notice you can hear Thorne in the background because he isn't drowned out by crowd noise:

The ball landed on Eutaw Street and sat there near a restroom entrace. No one was around to pick it up:

Someone is going to get a belated souvenir!

Fans could get a good view from the balconies of the hotel across the street.
Fans could get a good view from the balconies of the hotel across the street. (USATSI)

Others opted to stand by the gates, hoping to catch a peek of the action:

Those few fans could be heard in the background throughout the game, but for the most part it was silent. Watching a major league game with no crowd noise is weird.

The concourses were empty and the concessions stands were shut down.
The concourses were empty and the concessions stands were shut down. (USATSI)

There was one stadium worker walking around the stands fetching foul balls:

That's a thankless job, but at least the Orioles saved a couple bucks on baseballs, I guess.

The empty stands in the middle innings.
The empty stands in the middle innings. (USATSI)

After recording the final out of an inning, O's first baseman Chris Davis chucked a ball into the stands as usual, except no one was around to catch it:

Now the poor stadium worker has to go fetch that ball. Nice one, Davis.

This photo was taken in the fourth inning, not during pregame warmups.
This photo was taken in the fourth inning, not during pregame warmups. (USATSI)

One fan managed to sneak into the park:

Okay, not really. But that was funny.

Once the score got out of hand in the late innings, Thorne had a little fun and worked on his golf announcer voice:

Just two hours and three minutes after the first pitch, the final out was recorded. So if MLB really wants to improve the pace of play, all they need to do is get rid of the fans.

Orioles outfielders celebrated after the final out as usual.
Orioles outfielders celebrated after the final out as usual. (USATSI)