Roof open or closed, the Blue Jays’ biggest decision might not be the lineup
Do the Toronto Blue Jays have a roof dilemma on their hands? With Sunday evening’s playoff forecast calling for a dry 15°C at first pitch, the Blue Jays have the luxury of choice when it comes to their home turf.
The Toronto Blue Jays’ secret weapon this Sunday is above the field.
Do the Blue Jays have a roof dilemma on their hands? With Sunday evening’s playoff forecast calling for a dry 15°C at first pitch, the Blue Jays have the luxury of choice when it comes to their home turf.
RELATED: Rogers Centre roof still a showstopper after nearly 40 years
Unlike most chilly fall matchups, conditions are mild enough to open the Rogers Centre roof, and the stats say they should.
Someone might want to forward the following chart to John Schneider, just in case it got lost in the pregame notes.
Despite playing seven fewer games with the roof open, the Jays racked up the same number of wins, revealing a hidden statistical weapon. In fact, with the roof open, the winning percentage is 73 per cent--higher than the record-breaking 2001 season by the Seattle Mariners, who finished with a 116-46 record (72 per cent wins).
Of course, correlation doesn’t always mean causation.
The Jays played some of their best baseball during the summer months, when the dome was naturally open more often. Still, when the numbers show this kind of deviation, it’s hard not to wonder if the roof is making more of a difference than we think.
Another side to the roof: Sound.
There’s another side to the roof, and it isn’t all bad news. When the roof is closed, noise reverberates and amplifies, turning the stadium into an intimidating noise machine, making it tough for visiting teams.
So what do you do?
Play the numbers, or play the noise? With the Mariners running on fumes from the 15th-inning marathon on Friday night, the roof call could tilt the series before the first pitch is even tossed from the mound.
Open the roof, and just bring a sweater to endure the cold.