Cubs manager cries foul after roof closure. Here's what the rules say about roof decisions

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- It's a sight that's commonplace in baseball: an angry manager venting about decisions he believed hurt his team's chances.

Using plenty of profanity in his postgame comments Tuesday, Chicago Cubs Manager David Ross questioned the home plate umpire's judgement, and he also blasted a decision to close the roof at American Family Field during the bottom of the 8th inning.

"Some of the pitches that got called today, just weren't even close, and so, it's gotta be better," Ross said. "They're closing the roof to get rid of the shadows late. Just a lot of bullsh*t that went on today that just was really frustrating.

Ross did not hold back when a reporter asked if it was legal to close the roof at that moment.

"I f*cking thought it was horsesh*t," Ross replied. "I don't f*cking know."

Closing the roof did eliminate some of the shadows across the infield, which make it harder for batters to pick up the spin on pitches. Based on that timing, the Brewers had an extra round of at-bats in a shadow-free setting. 

The Brewers erased a 6-2 deficit over the 8th and 9th innings, but the Cubs ended up winning 7-6 in extra innings. 

The Major League Baseball rulebook states the home team decides whether a retractable roof is open or closed at the start of a game.

After the first pitch, however, any decisions on roof movements are made by the umpires, in consultation with the grounds crew. If a game began with the roof open, the rulebook states the roof can only be closed during the game for weather-related reasons.

Before Thursday's game, tailgaters were predictably divided over whether Ross had a legitimate complaint.

"He was pretty fired up, and I think he just said it in the moment, and he doesn't realize both teams benefit from that," Daniel Meyer, a Brewers fan from Mukwonago, said.

"If you start the game with the roof open, it stays open. If you start the game with the roof closed, it stays closed unless there's inclement weather, which there wasn't," Henry Macklin, a Cubs fan from Rockford, said. "So, I agree with David Ross, completely."

CBS 58 Ready Weather Meteorologist Rebecca Schuld pulled up the radar from Tuesday afternoon. Around 4:45 p.m., a storm cell popped up east of Oconomowoc, about 20 miles west of the ballpark.

As the cell moved in a southeasterly direction, it eventually split up and missed the stadium.

The Brewers did not respond to multiple requests for comment Thursday, but Schuld said the team uses 20 miles as a benchmark when deciding if a storm is too close to the stadium.

She said given the powerful core that storm cell had, it made sense the grounds crew would be cautious. Beyond that single cell, Schuld said the conditions were ripe for pop-up thunderstorms.

"We were 90 degrees on the Fourth, and we had high humidity," she said. "When you have an atmosphere like that, if those showers start to form, they can really pack a punch."

It's not the first time there have been accusations of weather-related chicanery in this Chicago-Milwaukee rivalry. In May of 2017, former Brewers General Manager David Stearns questioned why the Cubs postponed a game at Wrigley Field in anticipation of rain throughout the day. 

But that rain never fell. 

“Clearly, the Cubs were looking at a weather forecast that made them think it was going to rain,” Stearns told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel at the time. “Our weather forecast did not indicate that. I think there were five or seven other forecasts that also did not indicate that."

Brock Slinger, a Brewers fan visiting from Bend, Oregon, said Thursday he wouldn't be surprised if any team tried to manipulate the radar to gain an edge, but he noted the conditions were in place for storms to pop up Tuesday.

"There's a lot of little unwritten rules that can happen, things you can do to give yourself a small advantage," he said. "If the weather happens to be the driving factor in that [decision], you should close the roof."

In the end, it's another chapter in a series that always has plenty of sizzle.

"I think it's just adding fuel to the fire," Joe Buczko, a Cubs fan from Racine, said. "I think it's- no matter what happens, no matter who wins, it's always good, clean fun."