The opening game of the National League Division Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves came with a very obvious backdrop: brutal heat.
From the first pitch Saturday, the difference across Dodger Stadium was easy to spot. Seats in the sun sat open in big pockets, while the shaded sections were full. The official game-time temperature was 100 degrees, and by the time the game was underway, the temperature in Los Angeles had climbed to 101.
That heat showed up in the attendance figure, too. The announced crowd of 50,194 was the lowest for a playoff game at Dodger Stadium in 11 years. The last postseason game in Los Angeles to draw fewer than 50,000 came in Game 4 of the 2016 NLDS against the Washington Nationals, when 49,617 were announced for a Tuesday afternoon start at 1 p.m.
This time, the issue was simpler: it was just hot.
The city of Los Angeles had already warned residents on Thursday that the heatwave was expected to last for “several days.” Its emergency email urged people to find shade or air conditioning, drink plenty of water, and stay in cool places when possible. The message also advised checking on relatives and neighbors, especially anyone with pre-existing health conditions.
The heat may have helped keep some ticket prices down, at least on the resale market. According to online reseller TickPick, second-hand ticket prices for the game were the lowest of the four Division Series that began Saturday.
Players had to deal with the same conditions, and for Brent Suter, the temperature was hard to miss.
"Definitely in the back of my mind, I'm like 100 degrees in October in LA, that's definitely not normal," he said. "Obviously super El Niño is a big thing to do with that. It's going to be a challenge for both sides to stay hydrated, especially the position players.
"I don't know how they do it day in and day out with some of this heat."
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