The return of baseball: Rochester Honkers to begin abbreviated season in July

For much of this summer, it was unclear if Rochester would see live sports return. On Monday, the answer was laid bare: the Rochester Honkers will have a season after all.

The Northwoods League announced the Honkers will return on Thursday, July 2, in St. Cloud against the Rox. The next day, both teams will travel to Rochester to mark the Honkers’ home opener.

The Honkers are included in a five-team ‘pod,’ composed of teams from Minnesota and Iowa (Mankato, St. Cloud, Waterloo, and Willmar). All five teams in the pod will play a 40-game season, condensed from the original 72-game season. 

Minnesota’s Covid-19 guidelines still prohibit outdoor gatherings larger than 250 people. First-year Honkers GM Jeremy Aagard says no crowd will exceed that size at Mayo Field, although he says the organization is still figuring out exactly how many tickets will be available on given nights. (An average Honkers game in 2019 drew around 1,000 people.)

Fans will not be required to wear masks, although staff will be required to do so. Seating will be on a first-come, first-serve basis, and fans are encouraged to seat themselves in a socially distant fashion. Concession workers will be gloved and masked, but no major changes in food offerings are in the pipeline.

Aagard added the Honkers successfully submitted a Covid-19 sanitation readiness plan (required for any business looking to resume operation) to Rochester Parks and Recreation last week, officially clearing the way for a return to baseball in 2020.

“Our plan is very similar to what a lot of other businesses are undergoing, with staff wearing masks and gloves, social distance in the stands, things like that,” said Aagard. “I think this is as general as we can get, to coincide with a bunch of other businesses and other opportunities.”

The Northwoods League is a summer league for exclusively college baseball players, meaning per NCAA eligibility rules, they are barred from earning a salary. Host families provide a free ‘home away from home’ throughout the season. Future Honkers from across the country will flock to Rochester over the next week.

The club’s five-team pod will play through August 20, with the team having the highest winning percentage at the end of the season declared the winner. There will be no playoff format.

The return of the Honkers comes as Minnesota health officials also relax restrictions on organized youth sports. Outdoor youth leagues can resume games June 24, while indoor leagues will be allowed to resume July 1 — both with 25-person restrictions on crowd sizes.

Isaac Jahns is a Rochester native and a 2019 graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism. He reports on politics, business and music for Med City Beat.

Cover photo: File / Dave Tester for the Rochester Honkers