Brewers set open roof for NLDS Game 2 after Padres roof controversy

The Milwaukee Brewers will play under an open roof for Game 2 of the National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres on Sunday afternoon. American Family Field’s retractable roof is scheduled to be open, a decision confirmed through the ballpark’s roof hotline one day after a disputed late-inning play involving the stadium structure.

Game 1 swung on Ty France fly ball that hit roof cable

In Saturday night’s opener, the roof was closed when Ty France launched a deep fly ball in the ninth inning with the tying run on base. The ball struck a roof cable in fair territory and dropped back into play, where Jackson Chourio made the catch for the second out of the inning. Ballpark ground rules at American Family Field state that batted balls hitting the roof or its components in fair territory remain live.

San Diego requested a review to determine whether the ball had contacted the cable in fair or foul territory. Replay confirmed that it hit in fair territory, so the play stood as a live ball and an out. Had it clipped the cable in foul territory, the ball would have been ruled dead. The next hitter, Jackson Merrill, lined out to right field to end the game, preserving Milwaukee’s 3-2 win in Game 1.

Padres manager Craig Stammen described the sequence afterward as “a bad break for us,” saying it looked like a potential home run that simply did not go their way. He added that his club should be able to recover from the setback as the series continues.

League controls roof decisions; weather allows it to open

During the postseason, all decisions involving weather and retractable roofs are made by the commissioner’s office in consultation with the home team and the umpiring crew. The league generally opts for caution in October, closing roofs if there is even a modest chance of delay or postponement.

Local forecasts on Sunday call for near-ideal conditions in Milwaukee, with game-time temperatures in the upper 60s Fahrenheit, a light breeze and minimal cloud cover. Those factors, more than any desire to quell further debate, are driving the choice to open the roof for Game 2. Temperatures were in the low 60s on Saturday night when the series opened.

The Brewers hold a 1-0 edge in the best-of-five NLDS heading into Sunday. Right-handers Logan Henderson for Milwaukee and Michael King for San Diego are slated to start Game 2, as the Brewers try to push the Padres to the brink of elimination and San Diego looks to pull the series even.