Jackie Robinson Ballpark threw open its gates for a new season on Friday, the first on-time season home opener since April 2019. Ages ago!

I never miss a home opener. They are days of obligation, and this is the seventh season that the Daytona Tortugas took the field and the 80th that a home team at this ballpark welcomed fans inside. Quite a record that began in 1920 when downtown merchants closed their shops early and the Daytona Islanders took this field to play against the Orlando Caps for the first Florida State League minor league game here. A seasonal event that has suffered some disruption in recent years.

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Recall that last year’s season began a month late because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and even then, the ballpark was restricted to a half-capacity crowd to encourage social distancing. A lot of people stayed home especially after the delta variant spike in August. Grandstand seats were blocked off with zip-ties to keep fans apart. Even the team mascot, Shelldon, wore a mask.

And the season before that? Canceled altogether because of COVID. No opening day. That was also the year when the team stood in danger of being dropped from the minor leagues as the national farm system contracted and reorganized. And the year before that? A shortened season because of Hurricane Dorian.

We are due, then, for a normal baseball season.

Which made Friday’s opener feel especially like a restoration of the Natural Order of Summer. And settling into my habitual seating area (the older section, the part that has seats with backs, a metal roof that thunders magnificently when struck by foul balls, and is cooled in summer by the airplane-propeller-sized ceiling fans), a return of a more summertime frame of mind looked possible despite jacket weather and a 13-mph wind on the island. The event drew 2,635 spectators ready for baseball’s return.

A home opener is a holiday that celebrates that return. It is a reunion of the fan base. The regulars arrive early and wander the ballpark seeking familiar faces and sights.

I did and was reassured by how little has changed at Jackie Robinson Ballpark since it went dark in September. The manual scoreboard was repainted but faithfully in the same colors. Easier to read now. Team mascot Shelldon appeared to have gained a new head that’s a little more vibrant. The bases have grown to 18 inches by 18 inches from 15 by 15 – not that you’d notice from the seats. And the surface around them was replaced with improved material that can better slow a slide.

(And here, it should be cleared up that after a season playing as the generic-sounding Low-A Southeast League, the state league has reclaimed the traditional Florida State League name. Another return to normal this year.)

A big change for traditionalists: The return of the pitching clock. They were gone last season. I heartily disapproved of them when they were introduced to the Florida State League in 2016 (What gives! This is supposed to be The Game Without a Clock!) but found to my surprise I missed them last year.

Let us admit: Some pitchers’ pre-throw rituals have grown a little too ritualistic. Sometimes deep pitcherly contemplation during a full count can get too contemplative. Often the mound conferences can drag out into mound seminars. Just play the game!

Friday’s proceedings started encouragingly enough with third baseman Michel Triana sprinting home from second base. But despite some floundering in the St. Lucie Mets’ outfield and stirrings of a ‘Tugas rally in the 6th inning, the ‘Tugas were overwhelmed. The Mets won 9-6.

But hey, this is April, a time of optimism and somewhat rougher play in the minors. When a fan might witness error-filled hit-fests in which the winning team is the one that messes up slightly less than its opponent. Something that is more like life as I know it.

The April fan base is still just glad to be there, especially after past disruptions. And there are a lot of games ahead which puts the crowd in a forgiving mood. At spring’s start, anything might happen next.

Mark Lane is a News-Journal columnist. His email is mark.lane@news-jrnl.com.