LOS ANGELES (AP) \u2014 The Los Angeles Dodgers are hosting the Atlanta Braves in what is forecast to be the hottest postseason game at Dodger Stadium since 2017.<\/p>\n
Shade was at a premium on Saturday for Game 1 of the National League Division Series, which began at 1 p.m. local time. The game-time temperature of 100 degrees was forecast to reach 101 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius), about 20 degrees warmer than the average for early October.<\/p>\n
The highest game-time temperature ever recorded at Dodger Stadium is 103 degrees (39 degrees Celsius) twice. The first time was Oct. 24, 2017, for Game 1 of the World Series against Houston. It was equaled on Sept. 8, 2024, for a regular-season game against Cleveland.<\/p>\n
The Braves seemingly were unfazed by the blazing sun, cloudless skies and rising thermometer while taking pre-game batting practice. The two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers? They stayed inside.<\/p>\n
\u201cRemember, we’re from Atlanta,\u201d Braves manager Walt Weiss said before the game. \u201cIt’s not that big of a factor.\u201d<\/p>\n
Braves center fielder Lane Thomas added, “I feel like this is a little cooler 98 than Atlanta.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some of their fans agreed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s hot, but it’s not bad,\u201d said Helen Greene of Valdosta, Georgia, who was sitting in the sun nine rows behind the visiting dugout with her long hair arrayed under a Braves cap. \u201cIn Atlanta, my hair would have been up by now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Greene and her husband, Chad, were hydrating with water.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’ll have beer later,\u201d she said, smiling.<\/p>\n
Tickets for Game 1 were still available early Saturday. The lowest get-in price ranged from $56 to $61, depending on the secondary marketplace.<\/p>\n
Fans still gathered in the outfield pavilions in hopes of catching a stray ball off the Braves’ bats pre-game. But other seating areas were mostly empty 90 minutes before first pitch.<\/p>\n
Christopher Hern\u00e1ndez of Long Beach and his girlfriend sat in the sun behind the Dodgers dugout with giveaway towels covering their heads.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe play sports and we know how it feels to be in the heat and we know how to beat the heat, too,\u201d he said, showing off a blue plastic bottle with a fan attached to spritz water. \u201cIt’s not as bad as people think it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts planned to keep an eye on his pitchers and catcher Will Smith, who wears a mask and padding behind the plate.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the same conditions for both teams,\u201d the manager said, \u201cand you\u2019ve got to just stay hydrated and manage it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Braves reliever Brent Suter graduated from Harvard in 2012, having majored in environmental science and public policy.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the back of my mind, I\u2019m like 100 degrees in October in L.A., that\u2019s definitely not normal,\u201d he said before the game. \u201cObviously super El Ni\u00f1o is a big thing to do with that. It\u2019s going to be a challenge for both sides to stay hydrated, especially the position players.\u201d<\/p>\n
Short heat spells in October are normal for Los Angeles, but the prolonged extreme heat warning \u2014 forecast to last at least a week \u2014 is keeping temperatures 10 to 15 degrees above normal. The average high in Los Angeles in early October is 81 degrees (27 degrees Celsius).<\/p>\n
\u201cJust making sure everyone is hydrated and staying loose and getting electrolytes in us,\u201d Suter said.<\/p>\n
Emergency medical teams were in their usual spots around the stadium, staying alert for anticipated cases of heatstroke, dehydration, excessive sweating caused by heat exposure, and the more typical drunkenness.<\/p>\n
The Dodgers encouraged fans to wear hats and sunscreen. They were allowed to bring in non-alcoholic drinks of one liter or less in factory-sealed plastic bottles. Empty refillable water bottles were also allowed. Bottle filling stations and water fountains are scattered around the stadium.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
\n See AP\u2019s full MLB coverage here\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LOS ANGELES (AP) \u2014 The Los Angeles Dodgers are hosting the Atlanta Braves in what is forecast to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":484250,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[34243,27901,27902,5167,48,52,51,47,50,49],"class_list":["post-484249","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-ap-climate-and-environment","tag-ap-sports","tag-ap-u-s-news","tag-associated-press","tag-la","tag-la-headlines","tag-la-news","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-headlines","tag-los-angeles-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/484249","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=484249"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/484249\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/484250"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=484249"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=484249"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=484249"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}