Dangerous Heat Wave Impacting NLDS Games At Dodger Stadium

The Los Angeles Dodgers will officially host the Atlanta Braves in Games 1 and 2 of the National League Division Series this weekend at Dodger Stadium.

The Braves moved on to the next round after eliminating the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 3 of the NL Wild Card Series on Thursday night.

Atlanta was then tasked with flying to L.A. for a highly anticipated matchup with the two-time defending World Series champions. When the team arrives in Southern California, they will be met with some of the hottest temperatures they’ve encountered all season.

That’s because a “dangerous heat wave,” as described by the National Weather Service, is currently impacting parts of Southern California.

The series opener on Saturday afternoon, which has a start time of 1 p.m. PT, currently calls for a high of 99 degrees with sunny skies and minimal cloud cover. When factoring in the humidity, the “feels like” temperature could exceed 105 degrees.

MLB could have moved first pitch to later in the day, but that isn’t likely with three other postseason games on the schedule. Seemingly, that decision would have been made already if the league were considering it.

Game 2 between the Dodgers and Braves on Sunday night won’t bring any relief. Even with a later start time of 5 p.m. PT, the projected temperature at first pitch is an identical 99 degrees.

The Dodgers are no strangers to playing postseason games in extreme heat conditions. When they hosted the Houston Astros in Game 1 of the 2017 World Series, the game-time temperature at Dodger Stadium reached 103 degrees.

While that is the official temperature on record, it is believed to have peaked at 104 degrees when the Dodgers took batting practice before the game.

Just two years ago, the Dodgers and Cleveland Guardians played in a regular-season game at Dodger Stadium that had an announced temperature of 103 degrees at first pitch.

Fans were provided with a free bottle of water from concession stands that day by simply showing the team’s social media post that promoted the special, or by obtaining a voucher at the point of entry or fan services booths.

The Dodgers haven’t yet announced if they will do something similar this weekend for Games 1 and 2 of the NLDS.

What is the hottest MLB game on record?

The Texas Rangers hosted the two hottest games in MLB history, with the first being on Aug. 26, 1988, against the Toronto Blue Jays, when the announced first pitch temperature was 109 degrees. Eight years earlier, Texas defeated the Minnesota Twins on June 27, 1980, when it was again 109 degrees.