|
MILWAUKEE -- The National League Division Series between the Brewers and D-backs is sure to feature plenty of surprises.But one thing is for certain, there won't be any rain delays or postponed games due to weather, as both clubs play in home ballparks with retractable roofs. The series opens on Saturday at Milwaukee's Miller Park -- which has North America's only fan-shaped convertible roof -- b free football efore heading to Arizona's Chase Field, which was the first stadium built in the United Sates with a retractable roof.It marks the first time in postseason history that two teams with retractable roofs are playing each other, as the 1991 ALCS between the Twins and Blue Jays was the only other time two dome teams faced off in the playoffs.Major League Baseball will determine the roof positions at b free football oth Miller Park and Chase Field after conferring with the hosting teams on weather conditions, with final decisions to be made on the day of each game."They'll ask our recommendation and our history, and we've generally handled it but they make the last call," Brewers assistant general manager Gord Ash explained. "Their mandate is to make it equal on both sides. No home-field advantage."But with w free football eather expected to be in the low-50s and windy conditions in Milwaukee on Saturday afternoon, the roof is expected to be closed for Game 1 at Miller Park, according to Joe Garagiola Jr., Major League Baseball's senior vice president of standards and on-field operations.Garagiola added that a decision for Sunday's game, set for a 4:07 p.m. CT start, still has yet to be made, as weather forecasts cu free football rrently call for a high of 65 degrees.It's a welcome decision to play Game 1 indoors for some Brewers position players, because when the roof is open during day games, it can cause shadows on the playing field due to the positioning of the roof and windows."Obviously, there are shadows here and it's been well-documented," third baseman Casey McGehee said. "So I guess if I had my pick, I'd hope it' free football s a little overcast and a little chilly so we close that roof and eliminate those shadows."The Brewers, however, fared well at home no matter the situation, finishing with a Major League-best 57-24 record at Miller Park. They went 29-10 (.744 winning percentage) with the roof and outfield panels open and 24-9 (.729) with the roof and panels closed. They also went 2-2 with the roof open and outfiel free football d panels closed, and 2-3 with the roof closed and panels open.One factor that could come into play is the noise level at Miller Park, as it's a louder ballpark when the roof is closed, and both games this weekend are sold out."You can definitely tell the difference when it's closed as far as the noise level," McGehee said. "So from that standpoint, it's nice to have it closed. If we can get this p free football lace shaking, I think it'll be good for us."D-backs center fielder Chris Young, however, said his team isn't worried about the atmosphere at Miller Park regardless of whether the roof is closed or open."I don't think it's too difficult to play in," Young said. "I think Miller Park is nice. I think they have a great fan base and they come out and support their team. In my opinion, any place that ha free football s lots of fans and lots of energy is an easy place to play for me."D-backs manager Kirk Gibson also said he isn't concerned about the conditions at Miller Park, especially regarding claims from Cardinals manager Tony La Russa in early August that the Brewers manipulate the lighting of the video ribbon board in the loge level to create an advantage for their hitters."That's certainly not something free football I'm focusing on," Gibson said. "We're going to try to take care of what we can take care of and deal with what they do. And it's the game of baseball. It's great competition. And we'll all do what we have to do to try to win that series."Gibson certainly won't have to worry about those claims when the series shifts to Arizona on Tuesday for Game 3. The D-backs also were a solid team at home, po free football sting a 51-30 record at Chase Field. The D-backs went 21-14 (.600) with the roof open during the regular season and 31-15 (.674) with it closed.It's still unknown if the roof will be open or closed at Chase Field on Tuesday, but the temperature is expected to be in the high-90s in Phoenix, according to the National Weather Service.The ballpark also serves as a launching pad, as the 173 homers hit free football there this year marked the third-highest total in the NL, while Miller Park was right behind with 171 homers hit there this season."I think it's nice -- the weather is still warm, we're going to play in decent weather, which you don't get in postseason too often," Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun said of Chase Field. "Obviously, it is a good hitter's ballpark. But it's not just a good hitter's ball free football park for us. They've had a ton of success there, too."So while there are still decisions to be made regarding the positioning of the roofs at both ballparks, it shouldn't create any unfair advantages for either team, as they'll both be playing against each other with identical conditions."It's going to be the same for both teams," McGehee said. "It's not like they're opening it for one and closing free football it for the other. So it's going to come down to whoever executes the best no matter what the conditions are." free football
|