Los Angeles is nearly 400 miles south of San Francisco, but Giants closer Camilo Doval received the Hollywood treatment Monday night at Oracle Park.
The Giants unveiled their new ballpark lights during Doval's entrance in the ninth inning of Monday's 5-2 win over the New York Mets -- and they didn't disappoint.
The Hollywood-like feel had cameras and action but began in the dark, as all of the Oracle Park lights shut off briefly. Then, dimmed red lights illuminated the stadium while a bright spotlight shined on Doval as he jogged to the mound.
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"I knew they were going to do the light show, but I didn't have an idea it was going to be like that," Doval said postgame through an interpreter, with a smile he couldn't hide. "It looked like a movie."
Fans both at the game and watching from home enjoyed the new lighting upgrades, as heard by fan reaction at Oracle Park and also on social media.
Doval, too, was a fan of the addition to his entrance.
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"I was like, 'Wow.' It was like a movie," he said.
Before the start of the 2024 MLB season, the Giants shared that they would introduce some spiffy new lighting and sound upgrades to Oracle Park.
Nearly four weeks into the new season, fans finally got a taste of the ballpark enhancements.
"That had to be one of the coolest things I've ever seen," Giants pitcher Ryan Walker said on NBC Sports Bay Area's Giants Postgame Live." "We've been waiting for that moment for how many games now? And we finally got to see it tonight. The spotlight is so cool.
"For him, I wonder what he feels like. I wonder what that feels like with the spotlight on you and everything's dark. Man, it's got to be a great feeling."
Keaton Winn didn't get the same Hollywood-like treatment as Doval, but he still was lights out during his outing Monday night.
Nonetheless, he thoroughly enjoyed watching the light show and hopes to see more of it.
"Yeah, that was so sick," Winn told reporters postgame. "I saw it on the TV and I was like, 'Oh my gosh, I wish I was outside for this.' That would've been cool to see in person. Hopefully, they do that more. It was so cool."
Giants manager Bob Melvin, as old school as one could get, might not be the biggest fan of the antics, but he'll let the players and the fans have their fun with it.
"If he likes it, it's fine," Melvin told reporters, smiling and shaking his head. "If fans like it, that's what it's all about."
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