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Baseball is full of Opening Day predictions. The start of the Major League Baseball season offers fans and pundits a fresh start. Regardless of whether or not your team is in the midst of a rebuild or on the cusp of a World Series championship, there will be no shortage of prognostications before the start of the season.
But how'd you like to predict the weather for Opening Day? That's exactly what Minnesota Twins' game day meteorologist Mace Michaels does. The Twins are the only MLB organization to retain such a role, and with the weather in the Twin Cities, it's a good thing that they do.
The perfect combination
Curiosity led Michaels to become interested in meteorology as a kid. He wanted to know why weather did what it did in Minnesota. Michaels was also interested in broadcasting, so it stands to reason why professional meteorology was his calling. Combining his profession with America's pastime is something Michaels doesn't take for granted. "I've always been a baseball fan," Michaels said. "Big Twins fan."
If there's any team throughout MLB who needs a reliable meteorologist, it's the Twins. Unlike American Family Field in Milwaukee and T-Mobile Park in Seattle, there's no retractable roof covering the playing surface at Target Field. As you can imagine, that can present some obstacles, especially at the outset of the baseball season.
Target Field isn’t an outlier when it comes to stadiums without a “weatherproof” roof. In fact, only seven of the 28 major league stadiums throughout North America have a retractable roof, and four of those facilities (Houston, Phoenix, Miami and Arlington) are in the southern half of the United States.
"April is a challenging month," Michaels said when speaking about the unpredictable nature of the weather in Minnesota during the early-spring. Michaels recounted the Twins opener against the Seattle Mariners in 2022, when the game was postponed one day prior to its arrival by an early forecast of "rain-snow mix" and cold temperatures. Ultimately, the contest was played one day later than expected on April 8. Clearly, the decision to bump something as ceremonial as Opening Day weighed heavily on Michaels.
"We've had to postpone for snow. Nobody wants to play in perpetual flurries." Michaels also reminisced on a game that was played in the upper-20s.
The effect of weather-related events
Unfortunately, postponements are part of baseball. If a game is rained (or snowed) out before it begins, Major League Baseball will reschedule the game for a later date. If a weather delay occurs during a game already in progress, MLB may choose to suspend the game and resume once the conditions improve. After the fifth inning, the umpiring crew could make the decision to call the game, meaning that the statistics accumulated during those five innings become official and the game is essentially over after only five innings.
Like many teams with outdoor ball parks, the Twins have a contingency plan in place for such weather-related events that might occur during the first game of the season. "Opening Day is really key, and that’s the nice bonus of having the extra day," Michaels said. The Twins opener this season comes against the Houston Astros on Thursday, April 3. But Minnesota has an off-day on Friday just in case.
While Michaels' forecast and knowledge of weather systems undoubtedly helps the Twins players plan ahead, the grounds crew is certainly thankful to have him onboard as well. "It's a team effort," Michael said, as he was sure to give credit to his fellow meteorologist Todd Nelson, Head Groundskeeper Larry DiVito and others for their tireless efforts to help make the Twins game day experience the best in Major League Baseball.
"I couldn't be more thrilled to have the job I have," Michaels said. And when it comes to forecasting the Twins' chances this season, Michaels has to like how his favorite team stacks up against the rest of the AL Central as they attempt to return to the playoffs in 2025.