Montreal’s Olympic Stadium was baseball’s first stadium to have a retractable roof. The device, however, had numerous problems and generally remained closed. Rogers Centre, which opened in 1989 in Toronto, was baseball’s first stadium with a fully functional, fully retractable roof. As of 2010, five Major League Baseball teams play in retractable-roof stadiums: Arizona, Houston, Milwaukee, Seattle and Toronto. With this retractable technology, baseball has had to set out ground rules on when these roofs can open or close.
Pregame Decision
Before the start of the game, the home team decides whether the roof will be open or closed. This decision rests solely with the home club; neither the umpire crew nor the visiting team has input as to the roof status prior to the game.
During the Game--Roof Originally Open
If the game begins with the roof open, it can only be closed in the event of an impending inclement weather event such as precipitation. The final decision to close the roof still rests with the home club, but the umpire crew chief will consult with the home team representatives. After closing the roof during the game, it may not be reopened. Milwaukee’s Miller Park has an exception to this rule. At Miller Park, the roof can be reopened subject to the general conditions outlayed for opening the stadium roof after a game began with it closed.
During the Game--Roof Originally Closed
For games that began with the roof closed, the home club in Arizona’s Chase Field, Houston’s Minute Maid Park, Milwaukee’s Miller Park and Seattle’s Safeco Field do have the option of opening the roof during the game. This can be done if the home team believes that due to a weather change, fan enjoyment at the ballpark would be increased by opening the roof. Roof opening takes place between innings after notifying the umpire. If the roof must be closed again during the game for any reason, it may not be reopened a second time. The roof at Toronto’s Rogers Centre may not be opened during the course of a game due to the fact the process takes more than 20 minutes to complete. This is considerably longer than other retractable roof stadiums.
Visiting Team Challenge
The visiting team can challenge in-game changes to the roof status if it believes the home team is attempting to gain a competitive advantage by opening or closing it. This protest should be made with the umpire team’s crew chief and he makes the final decision on the roof status during a protest.
Wall Panels
For the purposes of rules concerning opening and closure, retractable wall panels or similar structural features are the same as a retractable roof. Currently, two stadiums have such features: Miller Park and Chase Field.
Postseason
During postseason games at any retractable-roof stadium, the Major League Baseball Commissioner or his representative makes all decisions in regards to roof or wall panel opening and closure. The league does take into consideration the normal roof opening and closure standards used by the club during the regular season.
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