Chase Field is the only current retractable roof baseball stadium in MLB. The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm alert for parts of Missouri and Illinois related to potential damage from strong winds and heavy rains from this storm system. Be sure to check the weather conditions before heading to a stadium; unexpected changes can happen quickly in these types of storms. At eight stadiums around the league, that's no cause for concern, as seven have retractable roofs that can be closed to prevent rain (in addition to the Tropicana Dome closed for the Tampa Bay Rays).
Fans should avoid attending matches at any stadium where a retractable roof is being tested, as these facilities are not yet fail-safe and could pose a danger to those inside if something goes wrong. Research shows that approximately 1 in 14 MLB games has thunderstorms within an 8-mile radius of the stadium. The city averages just an inch of rain in July and August, which means most baseball games can take place without worrying about rain. In an effort to make the gaming experience more comfortable for fans, MLB is testing a retractable roof in select stadiums this season.
My research indicates that those stadiums generally only play with the roof open in April and September, and are generally closed all games during the summer. Acoustics is another factor that could be affected by having a roof over a stadium; reflection of sound from the surface area of the structure compared to outdoor stadiums could lead to poorer acoustics. However, team officials will tell you that the ceiling is important because many fans drive several hours to get to the stadium and it's important to have confidence that the match won't run out. Other stadiums, such as Minute Maid Park in Houston and Progressive Field in Cleveland, have no roof and rely on the outdoors for the game environment.
If you see warning signs that the roof may not close properly, stay away from the stadium until further notice; baseball operations will take immediate action in extreme cases if things don't go as planned. Baseball loses numerous games throughout the year, causing teams to recover games during the playoff race. The retractable roof at the globe's Life Field will help contain the sound of cheering fans, letting energy reverberate from the roof into the field to provide an advantage on the field, Matwick said, based on the effect he has seen in other stadiums with similar roofs. A total of 10 NFL stadiums have roofs, a significant increase from the beginning of the 21st century, when only four had them.
Yankee Stadium is one of the oldest football stadiums that still stands and has undergone many different renovations over time, some necessary and some not so much. To keep players and fans cool during games, roofs are a common feature in modern baseball stadiums.
