While the San Francisco Giants are off to a rough start this season, fans at AT&T Park are starting a new trend there: rally lights.
Fans in the stands simultaneously hold up the flashlights on their smartphones, adding some extra illumination to the field. While at first the move seemed like a cool idea, it's now catching the attention of Major League Baseball for the wrong reasons.
"I've only seen this at a rock concert before," Giants play-by-play broadcaster Jon Miller said.
It has been said the so-called rally lights are intended to rally the home team and perhaps psych out opponents. Most Giants fans seemed to warm to the idea.
"It's awesome, i think it's super tight," Nick Cosmides, of Monterey, said. "It's creative."
Even Giants manager Bruce Bochy noticed fans seemed to enjoy their shining contribution.
"It is simliar to being at a rock concert," he said. "The players are having fun with it."
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But the lights also caught the eye of umpires Monday night, pointing out a fan who may have had a real flashlight. They're saying it's a distraction.
"There's going to be a lot of distracting things, so figure out a way to deal with it," Giants fan Kelsey Henning said.
Dodgers fans disagreed.
"Very obnoxious and annoying, for the players," LA fan Josh Munoz said. "I bet it's outrageous to look at while they're playing."
Some reports say Major League Baseball told the Giants to make sure lights are not used by fans on the first level between the bases. The team, however, said it hasn’t received such a directive. Bochy said he doesn't want it to compromise safety.
"Sometimes the ball comes close to where these lights are shining in the background there, so obviously I have a little concern there," he said.
Tuesday night was the third time fans have illuminated the ballpark to show their support.
