Best fan cutouts from Opening Weekend

Chipper at Citi, Tom Hanks in Oakland and, of course, dogs

July 27th, 2020

Due to COVID-19, fans are currently not allowed to attend MLB games. But fortunately, you can still be there! Without even being there! You can purchase a fan cutout to be placed in your favorite seat in your favorite stadium. You can visit places you've never visited, send three or four of you to the same game or send your pet out by themselves. They'll be fine, for the most part.

And that's exactly what fans did over Opening Weekend. They couldn't be there in person, but they were there in cardboard. Here are some of our favorite cutout moments from the last few days.

A clone army

Paul Garrett has been to every Opening Day since 2005 -- the same year the White Sox last won a World Series -- and he wasn't going to miss out on this one. He bought 100 yelling cutouts right near the visitors' dugout, all for charity.

Who let the dogs out by themselves?

The Mets' Michael Conforto and Jeff McNeil are good friends, but do you know who might be better friends? Their three dogs. They all attended a game together on Saturday: Conforto's two pups, Griffey and Kali, and little Willow McNeil. They had the entire right field bleachers to roam around, but instead just sat their quietly. And then, well, Adam Duvall came up to the plate.

The Phillie Phanatic is still the Phillie Phanatic

After trying and failing to pump up Phillies cardboard fans and heckling Marlins' pitcher Robert Dugger from behind home plate, the Phillie Phanatic went after a poor old Marlins cutout. The guy was in a section all by himself. He had no protection or support, and the Phanatic had a full bottle of silly string.

Chipper trolls Citi

Chipper Jones raked against the Mets for 19 seasons, making Mets fans scream in horror every time he stepped into the on-deck circle. And even eight years after he retired, Chipper is still taunting the borough of Queens. He is now a cutout along with his son Shea (yes, named after Mets' old ballpark Shea Stadium), behind the visitors' dugout. ESPN actually purchased the cardboard cutouts for charity, but I doubt that makes Mets fans feel too much better about it.

A giant mule and a young Tom Hanks in Oakland

And not just any old mule. That's Charlie O the mule, live animal mascot for the A's from 1965-76. The mule had its own song and air-conditioned rides to the stadium, and now, finally, its own fan cutout at the Coliseum.

A certain A-list actor also made a cutout appearance for the A's during Opening Weekend. Tom Hanks used to be a peanut vendor at the Coliseum as a teenager and now, he'll be forever memorialized as one. His voice will also be pumped in over the stadium speakers. It's clearly his greatest role yet.