Wind played a significant role in the Los Angeles Dodgers' 13-4 victory over the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium on Monday night. Almost every fly ball was an adventure for both defenses as a result of the howling wind. Dodgers' outfielder Jason Heyward, who played at Wrigley Field with the Chicago Cubs for seven seasons, detailed the key difference between LA and Chicago when it comes to the wind, per The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya.
“It was a tough one,” Heyward said following Monday's win. “Obviously I played at Wrigley for the last seven years, played in San Francisco a bunch. But we're out here in the mountains. Not a lot of buildings to block that. So it was kind of tough.”
The Dodgers still managed to score 13 runs despite the weather conditions. However, they were forced to hit the ball extremely hard into the wind. Chris Taylor blasted a home run that produced an exit velocity of 110 MPH off the bat, which was no match for the wind.
110 mph off the bat and INTO the wind? 🥵 pic.twitter.com/6nQZkL5iaL
— Blake Harris (@BlakeHHarris) April 4, 2023
The weather also impacted more than just the position players in the game. Dodgers' SP Michael Grove, who previously replaced injured pitcher Tony Gonsolin the rotation, discussed how the wind affected his performance on the mound, per SportsNet LA on Twitter.
“I don't know if I felt wind like that since Lancaster in Single-A,” Grove said after the game. “The wind was behind me, towards the plate today. If it's in my face, then my curveball becomes a little bit bigger. Sometimes you can use that to your advantage. But today it didn't affect me too much.”
The Dodgers will aim to earn back-to-back victories over the Rockies on Tuesday at 7:10 PM PST at Dodger Stadium.