It’s never fun to be a Debbie Downer, but there is a good chance that the Milwaukee Brewers will not play their Opening Day game this Thursday.
The game is currently set for April 7th at 1:20 CST at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. Surprisingly, the Brewers and Chicago Cubs have only met two times on Opening Day. Every time has been at Wrigley. The lockout week-long delay in the season means the Brewers technically weren’t supposed to start in Chicago. The original Opening Day was on March 31st at American Family Field against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
If you haven’t noticed, the weather recently hasn’t been great in the Midwest. And Wrigley Field does not have a roof on it. It really begs the question again why teams in this region like Chicago and the Minnesota Twins still have open stadiums. So the Brewers go from opening at home to playing on the road. And now the games might not even happen.
Thursday Weather Report
Right now, Thursday in Chicago is supposed to be 47 degrees. Not freezing by any means, but not amazing weather for a baseball game. Here is the real issue. There is a 40-50% chance of rain. And winds up to 20 MPH.
Yes, they could delay the start of the game. At night, that rain is supposed to turn into snow. So there will be a slush-type mix as we head into the evening hours. The chance of this mix is sitting at more than 50% right now. That doesn’t sound promising.
Friday Weather Report
So if Thursday’s Opening Day is called off, we have Friday still right? A double-header? Wrong.
Right now, the city is expected to get rain and snow in the morning, and turn into showers in the afternoon. So rain AND snow all day on Friday. Crappy weather two days in a row. There is a very good chance that there will be no Brewers games on Thursday or Friday. You might need to start preparing yourself for double-headers on Saturday and Sunday instead of Opening Day.
Brewers Cubs Rain Delay History
Baseball can be played if it’s just a drizzle, but the Cubs have had a history of cancelling games way too soon. Most famously back in 2017. In late May, the team cancelled their Saturday match-up against the Brewers stating the chance of rain. Those actions even got David Stearns to release a statement. He said the Brewers had a different forecast on their end, and that the skies should be clear before the game started.
Of course, the Brewers and Stearns were right. When the original game time came, there was no rain. In fact, it didn’t rain at all and the game was never played. Milwaukee was obviously upset, and wondered if there were other motives and wanted a possible investigation. Earlier in the season, the Cubs had also suggested that first baseman Eric Thames was taking PEDs after his hot start to the season. Thames would then “randomly” get tons of drug tests the next few months. Surprise, surprise, they all came up negative.
Manager Craig Counsell would have the quote of the season regarding the postponed game. When asked about it, he said “First time out players were treated for sunburn after rainout”.
Opening Day Still Possible
The games on Thursday and Friday could play as scheduled. As we all know, weather predictions can often be wrong. The rain and snow could pass. But we also need to keep in mind that there is a chance there is no Brewers game on Thursday. No one is more excited about Opening Day then me. I still haven’t wrapped my head around it. The thought of baseball starting on Thursday, but that the Brewers might not, makes me sick. The reality is that the first two games might not happen.
Should they move the weekend series to American Family Field? Absolutely. But at this point there is almost no way that they could. It would make too much sense.
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