There is a lot of buzz about whether the roof of Minute Maid Park should/will be open or closed for the American League Division Series that begins Saturday between the Minnesota Twins and the Houston Astros.
Of course, the decision will be made based on the weather, but the forecast calls for temperatures in the mid-70s with partly cloudy skies and no threat of rain. It’s perfect baseball weather. Absolutely perfect. Even San Diego would be jealous.
Expect the roof to be closed.
It won’t be because Astros players prefer to play under a closed roof. They believe that a closed roof is a large part of their home-field advantage. Outfielders don’t have to worry about atmospheric hazards to catch fly balls. A controlled environment gives the better team an advantage, and it’s the Astros most of the time. OK, maybe not this year, when the Astros had a losing record at home. But still, if they had the choice, the Astros would prefer to play at home, under a roof, in front of their screaming fans.
During the regular season, Astros management decides whether the roof will be open or closed at Minute Maid Park. Almost always the decision is to close the roof. You can count on one hand the number of times the roof has been opened this year.
For legitimate reasons. It’s hot during the summer in Houston. Over the years, the Astros have had a higher winning percentage with the roof closed than open. It costs about $1,000 an hour to air-condition Minute Maid Park, which was only slightly more than my electric bill this summer.
It used to be that the Astros started night games with the roof open and closed the roof after sunset. This stopped in 2005.
But when the playoffs roll around, it’s up to the commissioner of baseball to decide whether the roof will be open or closed. Last year, Game 2 of the American League Championship Series was played under the stars at Minute Maid Park, and Yankees manager Aaron Boone blamed the Yankees’ loss on the fact that the roof was open. Boone complained that an Aaron Judge fly ball would have been a home run if the roof had been closed, but the wind kept the ball inside the park so Kyle Tucker could catch it.
After that, the roof was closed for all three games of the 2022 World Series at Minute Maid Park.
I bet the roof will be closed for ALDS Games 1 and 2 this weekend because Fox is broadcasting the games and Fox loves big interiors. Television has a powerful voice in baseball decisions, especially during the playoffs, when the networks pay big money and don’t want tough hits.
In 2017, the Super Bowl was held at NRG Stadium in Houston and Fox produced the game. It was about a balmy 66 degrees that day for the New England Patriots’ overtime victory over the Atlanta Falcons. The roof was closed.
In 2004, the Super Bowl was held at NRG Stadium. The temperature was a cool, cool 62 degrees for the New England Patriots, Carolina Panthers and Janet Jackson’s infamous halftime “wardrobe malfunction.” The roof was closed and CBS was playing the game.
A Fox employee told me that closing the roof of a sports stadium creates a controlled television studio. The network doesn’t have to worry about drizzle, shadows, or sunlight coming in and out behind the clouds. The lighting of the entire field is uniform. Sound technicians don’t have to worry about planes flying overhead or crowd noise fading into the open sky.
Unless the MLB commissioner comes up with some divine intervention, expect Justin Verlander to take care of the Twins hitters under the roof at Minute Maid Park.
