Ballpark Roofs Could Shape Brewers-Rays World Series and Make History

The roofs above the Brewers-Rays World Series could influence both the history of the matchup and individual plays. If American Family Field’s retractable roof remains closed for every Milwaukee game, the series could become the first played entirely indoors. Tropicana Field has a fixed roof. The two parks handle overhead contact differently. In Milwaukee, a ball striking the roof, a truss or a cable above fair territory generally remains in play. A catch results in an out. That rule mattered in NLDS Game 1, when San Diego’s Ty France hit a deep fly that contacted an overhead cable or support before Jackson Chourio caught it in left field. Tropicana Field has four catwalk rings with different consequences. A fair ball hitting either lower ring, C or D, is a home run. Contact with the upper A or B ring generally leaves the ball live, although a ball that stays on either upper ring is a ground-rule double. A foul ball hitting a catwalk becomes dead. Those structures have already affected this postseason. In ALDS Game 2, Yankees hitter Spencer Jones sent a popup off the B-ring before Rays right fielder Victor Mesa Jr. caught it for an out. Roof decisions in Milwaukee will involve more than the home club’s preference. During the postseason, the Commissioner or a designated official determines roof movement in consultation with the team and umpire crew chief. Familiarity with the overhead structures—and the rules governing them—could become an unexpected factor in a close game.