For many people the answer to the question posed in the title is “yes.” However Major League Baseball might say, “it’s complicated.” My family roots for the Atlanta Braves, but I suspect other fan bases might resonate with this article. If you watched Game 4 of the National League Championship Series Thursday evening between Atlanta Braves and the The Los Angeles Dodgers, then you understand why I am writing this opinion piece. The series is being played in the Texas Rangers’ gleaming new park Globe Life Field. One of its distinguishable features is a 5.5 acre retractable roof with clear panels for natural light to shine through when it is closed. During Game 4, the Dallas area experienced very high winds that significantly impacted the game, yet the league chose to open (and keep open) the roof. Why was this decision made?
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – OCTOBER 15: A general view during the eighth inning between the Los Angeles … [+]
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NBC Los Angeles reported that Dodgers ace pitcher Clayton Kershaw, the starter for the evening, said, “If you have a roof, I don’t why you don’t close it….It just seems like it was a little crazy enough that you might want to close the roof.” Most of the players, including probably National League Most Valuable Player, Freddie Freeman struggled to see the ball and battled dust or other particulates flying into their eyes. At one point, the camera cut to a dugout shot of Freeman being administered eye drops. Ronald Acuna, an outfield with the Braves, tried glasses. He never plays with glasses.
Why allow conditions that fundamentally change the game for everyone when the stadium has roof? The weather forecast from my meteorological colleagues was crystal clear on what was expected. Here is a snippet from the Thursday morning weather discussion from the National Weather Service – Fort Worth Office, “A strong cold front will pass through North and Central Texas later this morning, bringing gusty northeast winds and increased cloud cover to much of the region, and light showers or drizzle to our eastern counties.” Sustained winds were expected to be 20 mph with periodic gusts as high as 30 mph. By the way, 9 more mph, and gusts would have been in the range used for tropical storms.
The strong cold front that passed through Texas on October 15th, 2020
NOAA WPC
Cold fronts are boundaries between a warmer air mass and colder one advancing to replace it. Even fourth graders know that a strong cold front can dramatically drop temperatures and raise the winds. The National Weather Service had a Wind Advisory up for portions of the region though not the Dallas Metroplex. However, they warned of the possibility with the following statement, “It would not be a surprise if a few spots did briefly hit advisory criteria (sustained winds or frequent gusts in excess of 25 MPH), but it would likely be short- lived outside of where the advisory is in effect….Regardless of actual advisory status, it will be quite windy across much of the CWA following the frontal passage.” They ended the statement advising people in the Dallas area to secure loose items.
Los Angeles Times reporter Jorge Castillo covers the Dodgers. He tweeted Thursday night that, “I’m told MLB wants these games to be played with the roof opened unless it rains….Having fans here during a pandemic is another factor (would rather have it be open air).” Ok, I get the concern about Coronavirus and the need for better ventilation if fans were there. Virus numbers are spiking in the U.S. again. However, the argument might be made that perhaps fans should not be there in the first place. You played the entire season without fans in stadiums. However, that’s an argument for someone else. I am sure there are baseball purists that do not like stadiums with a roof and were just fine with the game’s wind element. However, if players from both teams were complaining, MLB should not listen to the concerns.
The “hot mess” feel of this incident actually reminds me of Opening Day in 2015. The Miami Marlins stadium had a retractable roof, yet they didn’t close it. Rain hampered play and made for a miserable experience for fans. Retractable roofs on stadiums are meant to mitigate weather impacts on game and fans, but I suppose everything is different in a pandemic normal.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – OCTOBER 15: Fans stand for the national anthem prior to Game Four of the … [+]
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