Though the Miami Marlins have hit the road, plenty of work is taking place to prepare Marlins Park for the potential effects of Hurricane Irma.
The Marlins are about to begin a seven-game, eight day road trip, a slate that comes as Hurricane Irma continues to track toward South Florida. The Marlins are not slated to play another game in Miami until September 15, but the organization is working to ensure that Marlins Park–which was constructed to withstand a category four storm, with winds up to 156 mph–is ready for the hurricane.
Club officials began tracking the storm last week, as several elaborate tasks will need to be completed to prepare the ballpark for the storm. In a detailed look at the process, the Sun-Sentinel learned details from Marlins executive vice president of operations and events Claude Delorme on how the team is handling numerous areas of the ballpark, including the retractable roof:
Delorme said the Marlins’ business and ballpark operations people started having daily preparedness meetings Tuesday, setting into motion a plan that will conclude Friday day with the closing of the stadium’s retractable roof.
That roof, however, will be ajar in several spots — a 16-foot gap on the east side, a 10-foot gap in the center and a 10-foot gap on the west side.
“It allows the air and the pressure to come inside the ballpark and eventually leave the ballpark,” Delorme said. “It avoids putting a lot of uplift on the roof. It was designed that way so we wouldn’t get any major damage to our roof.”
The 9,300-pound roof will be tied down with 56 large steel anchors.
The Marlins are to visit Atlanta and Philadelphia during their upcoming road trip. Their next scheduled homestand will run for six games, beginning with a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers.