What's going on with the roof at the Diamondbacks' stadium for the World Series?
The World Series moves to Arizona for the next three games this week after the Diamondbacks and Rangers split the two games in Arlington. And baseball fans will probably notice a similar atmosphere to what they saw at Texas’ Globe Life Field (a retractable roof stadium) — with one exception.
Notably, Chase Field has a retractable roof that the team can no longer open or close when fans are present, which forces the stadium operators to make a decision about the roof before each game. Basically, the cable system is compromised, and there is concern that a cable could snap and endanger fans.
For the World Series, the Diamondbacks waited to publicize their decision on the roof, but team CEO Derrick Hall told reporters that MLB has the final say on whether it is open or closed. While triple-digit temperatures in Phoenix forced the D-backs to close the roof for their three NLCS games, this week’s forecast calls for highs in the low 80s. The team and league did decide Monday to open the roof for Game 3.
The roof will be OPEN for tonight’s #WorldSeries game!
Gates open at 2pm, so we will see you soon! pic.twitter.com/SmZDZNk870
— Chase Field (@ChaseField) October 30, 2023
As for that broken roof, the D-backs still don’t have immediate plans to fix it and are prioritizing other issues with the aging stadium instead. Via azcentral:
“That was going to be priority No. 1, but since we know we’re going to be here at least three or four more years, we probably need to do the (LED) sports lights right now,” Hall said, adding the current lights were close to not being “at standard” for Major League Baseball.
He added that upgrading the video boards and sound system were high-priority items, as well, both above the roof, which can still open and close, just not when fans are present due to safety concerns.
You can find the roof schedule here.