Nashua Silver Knights season ticket holder Ray Smith of Nashua got to the Holman Stadium parking lot before 4 p.m. on Thursday. even though the gates for the team’s season opener weren’t opening til 4:30.

“I’m 100 percent thrilled,” Smith said. “I really think this is great, I really do.”

Team owner John Creedon, Jr. was saying hi to fans once they came in, masked of course. And handing out sanitary wipes in the press box.

Welcome to, as he has begun calling it, pandemic baseball.

Historic baseball.

Never have we experienced anything like this as the Knights and the Futures League, in their 10th season, made history just by opening the gates during a pandemic. In fact, Creedon capped the ticket capacity to 500 – a crowd of 550 was announced — just to make life easier and safer for everyone. Once the Knights and fans get used to things, that number could likely go up. Remember, the FCBL business model gets tossed out the window for the most part this season.

But one thing is the same.

“Live baseball,” said Knights manager Kyle Jackson, whose managerial debut was spoiled by a 4-1 loss to North Shore that featured a 45 minute or so rain delay in the sixth but only two Knights hits. “Just what we thought.”

Jackson felt “surreal” because when the shutdown happened, “honestly, in the back of my head, I had to wonder, when is our league going to say we’re done?”

Never happened. Jackson said the more he talked with Knights general manager Cam Cook a d Creedon, he was assured the FCBL and Knights would play if at all possible.

“What they all have achieved, as a league, as the city of Nashua, I’m grateful to them for all their support to get this,” Jackson said. “Anyone who wrote a letter or sent an email.”

Nashua Mayor James Donchess tossed out the ceremonial first pitch, and of course the Holman Stadium mound was a spot he never thought he’d be a couple of months ago.

“No, I didn’t,” Donchess said. “So we’re really happy to have (the Knights play). It’s great, we’re doing the social distancing, which is consistent with what we’re trying to do.”

It did feel somewhat strange, maybe a little subdued. But that may have been because of the lack of offense, as the Knights were held to just two hits.

Usually, when a rain delay hits Holman, the fans go home. But last night, many stayed. They wanted baseball.

The night was extra special for Manchester’s Darryl Leahy, a season ticket holder who actually had the coronavirus in late February but never really knew it, thinking it was just a strong cold that went away after two weeks. Once he realized the symptoms he had were similar to the virus, he got tested – and they found antibodies.

“It’s amazing just to get back out, some semblance of normalcy,” he said. “And just be able to go to an event. I usually go to tons of hockey games, baseball games. … for months, it’s been stuck at home.”

You can bet that the majority of the fans in the stands felt the same way Donchess did. No way this would happen.

“I didn’t think they had a chance of playing,” Knights fan Ron Britton said. “We’re the only game anywhere in New England. I’m excited about baseball. I’m a little nervous about this COVID stuff. People get too close to me, I’ll (he shifted to the side).”

It’s the new, uncomfortable normal, but Holman was a place of comfort on Thursday. It usually is.

“There’s nothing you can do about it,” Smith said. “This is the way it’s going to be. We have to face it. This is the new challenge for all of us these days.”

“We keep it going,” Leahy said. “We have a chance.”

A chance to enjoy, well, pandemic baseball. Much, much better than no baseball at all.

Tom King may be reached at tking@nashuatelegraph.com, or@Telegraph _TomK.

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