The forecast in Milwaukee for today’s 4:07 CT Game 5 first pitch is 76 degrees and sunny. Therefore, given the fact that the team plays in a stadium with a retractable roof, you’d think it’d be perfect to have the roof open since today will literally be a perfect day for baseball between the Diamondbacks and Brewers, right?
Wrong.
Major League Baseball made the decision today to close the roof at Miller Park despite the ideal weather conditions. But why on earth wouldn’t you take advantage of such a fantastic day?
According to Brewers’ spokesman Tyler Barnes, it’s all in the name of keeping things the same.
Via the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:
Brewers spokesman Tyler Barnes said “MLB prefers conditions consistent with how the first four games were played.”
He said the translucent panels in the outfield will be open.
That last part is the kicker — the translucent panels in the outfield will be open. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Miller Park, the stadium actually has a pair of retractable features. There’s the retractable roof and a set of panels in the outfield that can open or close as well. On days like today during the regular season, both the panels and the roof itself would be open, giving Miller Park more of an open air feel than you traditionally get in most domed stadiums. Since both operate individually from one another, you can have the roof open and the panels closed or the panels open with the roof closed as is the case today.
Here’s where things get tricky — reread Barnes’ quote. MLB prefers consistent conditions. Here’s the deal — I was at Game 1 at Miller Park. The panels and roof were both closed because it was chilly that day. For visual evidence of this, here’s a picture of my dad and I just before the game with the panels in the background.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that with the panels open, especially on a windy day like today, conditions for Game 5 are not going to be the same as they were in Games 1 and 2 when everything was all closed up. While the roof will eliminate any overhead sunlight for the outfielders (although as you can see in the banner shot, it’s still an issue when seeping in through the windows above the terrace level), the panels being open will allow wind to potentially be a factor in the outcome of today’s game.
It’s one thing to preach consistency but in this case if the league wanted truly consistent conditions, they’d close up everything and completely take the elements out of the equation. In this case, if they’re going to allow the Brewers to open the panels, they should allow the team to open the roof as well so they can take advantage of a rare summerlike day in Milwaukee.
