Mariners say Twins made ‘a good call’ to postpone season-opener as wind, snow hits Minneapolis
MINNEAPOLIS – As Seattle Mariners players wandered around the visitor’s clubhouse of Target Field, many of them wearing heavy sweatshirts and thick beanies issued by the team, there was no frustration about having Thursday’s game to open the 2022 season pushed back till Friday.
They only needed to step outside for a moment to understand the Minnesota Twins made the proper decision early Wednesday morning.
Out on the field, roughly an hour before what would’ve been first pitch for the season opener, the temperature was dropping into the low 30s with a steady wind just under 20 mph rushing through the stadium, pushing the windchill into the 20s. The precipitation which was consistent but indecisive in its form. Sometimes it was snow, sometimes it was rain and sometimes it was the sleety something in between.
“We have played in such weather here in the past, but not when it’s been snowing, it was just cold and clear,” manager Scott Servais said. “It was a good call to postpone again today for sure. Hopefully (the wind) will calm down tomorrow. It’s crazy right now.”
That game that Servais mentioned, which he has said is the coldest game he’s been a part of in his baseball career, was also on April 7 back in 2018. On that bright and cloudless Saturday afternoon in Minneapolis, the sun offered some level of warmth when the Mariners and Twins took the field at 1:10 p.m. CT with a first-pitch temperature of 27 degrees and a slight breeze. The Mariners, behind a solid start from Mike Leake, a homer form Kyle Seager and a three-run double from Ryon Healy, prevailed that day 11-4.
After the game Servais said about the weather: “It was mind over matter. And if you don’t mind it, sometimes it doesn’t matter.”
The forecast for Friday’s late-afternoon start (1:10 p.m. PT) is slightly better with temperatures in the low 40s, winds around 15-18 mph and only a 15% chance of rain.
While Thursday afternoon’s workout was voluntary, all 28 of the Mariners players on the roster were in attendance. After flying out of Phoenix on Wednesday afternoon and arriving in the evening, several players just wanted to remain active on the extra day off. Many were hitting in the indoor cages and using the weight room. A few ventured out on the field to run around, preparing themselves for the cold they will play in the next day. The pitchers, including opening day starter Robbie Ray, went outside to play catch in the outfield in brief sessions and throw in the bullpen.
“I haven’t really been outside a whole lot,” Ray said before playing catch. “We’re professionals, so we get paid to do this. I don’t think anybody’s like super uncomfortable with it.”
Ray prefers to not wear long sleeves under his jersey when pitching. Will he go with sleeves?
“We’ll see how tomorrow is,” he said. “If it’s like raining or if it’s super bad tomorrow, then probably. But as of right now, it looks like it’s gonna be a little nicer so probably no sleeves.”
Asked if he would wear compression tights under his signature tight pants, making them even more compressed, he smirked and said, “No.”
It will be the first time in his big league career that Ray will be the opening day starter. Since Servais announced the decision, Ray has maintained that he’s going to treat it as just another game.
“That’s essentially what it boils down,” he said. “It’s first game of the season, so set the tone for the boys and get it rolling.”
Signed to a five-year, $115 million contract in the offseason following a season where he won the America League Cy Young Award, Ray has found fitting in with his new teammates welcoming.
“I’m excited to get on the field and play with everybody,” he said. “This is a super fun team. Everybody keeps it loose, but when we get in between those lines – it’s business and it’s go-time. We have fun in the clubhouse, but we take the way we play very seriously.”