(Audacy) A few developments drew the ire of the Cubs on Tuesday, and one such issue had nothing to do with an actual play.
Both manager David Ross and first-base coach Mike Napoli got tossed from Chicago’s 7-6 win at Milwaukee. Umpiring was a central issue, but what seemed to get under the skin of Ross the most was the roof getting closed in the middle of the game at American Family Field.
The game started with the roof open, then during the eighth inning it began to close. Because of the way light hits the park at different times of day, shadows can make a difference on the game, and the roof being open or closed plays a role.
"They're closing the roof to get rid of the shadows late,” Ross told reporters after the game before launching into a profanity-laced tirade. “There's a lot of bulls–t that went on today. It was just really frustrating ... I f—--g thought it was horses–t. I don't f—--g know."
Appearing on the Bernstein & Holmes Show on Wednesday, Cubs left fielder Ian Happ explained why the roof can be such an issue in Milwaukee, especially when games begin in the middle of the afternoon, as it did Tuesday.
“When the roof is open, 3 o’clock games are tough,” Happ said. “When the roof is open, it’s kind of as the game goes, the shadows are bad at the start and then they get a little bit better – but the late innings as the sun gets on the batter’s eye, it gets really tough. So that’s a challenge.
“And then in the outfield, left field gets pretty direct sun as the game is going on, so you’re kind of dealing with anything that goes up is going to be in the sun, and then as the roof closes the windows get really bright when the sun sets. So you’re kind of dealing with two different things.
“The hard part yesterday is you have to wear glasses. Because if the ball goes up, it’s right in the sun, but it’s shade where the hitter is. So with glasses, it’s really dark where the hitter is and you have a lot of trouble picking the ball up off the bat, but then when it goes up you have the sun to deal with."
On Tuesday, the Brewers trailed 6-2 heading into the bottom of the eighth, where they scored twice before adding two more in the ninth to force extra innings. Keeping Happ’s point about the batter’s eye in mind, closing the roof can help sightlines for hitters in the late innings. That closing the roof coincided with a Brewers rally ostensibly is why Ross seemed so miffed.
MLB rules state a retractable roof should only be closed during a game if weather is a potential issue. In such a situation, the crew chief is supposed to alert the visiting team, which would have the opportunity to challenge the decision.
Happ ended up being the game's hero Tuesday, as he threw Brewers out at the plate in the 10th and 11th innings to keep the game alive and then clinch the Cubs' win.
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