Brewers prep for potential 'roof ball' as World Series shifts to Tampa Bay
The Brewers have already had one potentially game-changing run-in with a roof in this postseason. They’re now preparing for another in the World Series.
In case you missed it, Padres first baseman Ty France launched a ball deep into left field in the ninth inning of Game 1 of the National League Division Series at Milwaukee’s American Family Field. The ball ricocheted off a roof cable and landed in the glove of Brewers left fielder Jackson Chourio for an out.
Now, the Brewers have made their way to the Rays’ Tropicana Field for Game 3 of the World Series, a destination that has had its fair share of roof balls (or catwalk balls) over the years.
There are four catwalks at the Trop -- the A-, B-, C- and D-rings. Any fair ball that hits the lower and outermost two catwalks (C-ring and D-ring) is a home run. A fair ball that hits either of the top two catwalks (A-ring and B-ring) is in play. Any fair ball that stays on one of the top two catwalks is a ground-rule double. Finally, any foul ball that hits one of the catwalks is a dead ball.
The Brewers -- knowing those rules may come into play during Games 3, 4 and 5 (if necessary) of the Fall Classic -- used their on-field workout in St. Petersburg to practice such stadium-affected plays. Brewers coaches fed balls into a pitching machine and angled them straight toward the ceiling, forcing fielders to adjust to an unpredictable bounce.
“It's very much a different place,” manager Pat Murphy said. “It seems like a great place, and you have to make adjustments to it. That's part of being a big leaguer.”
While the Brewers’ home roof has a very short history of impacting play, Tropicana Field’s setup fairly frequently affects the game. According to the Rays’ media guide, 200 fair balls had hit the catwalks entering the 2026 season. This year, Yankees outfielder Spencer Jones hit a towering pop fly in the ALDS that bounced off the B-ring and landed in Victor Mesa Jr.’s glove for an out.
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The Brewers have taken a 2-0 lead over the Rays in the World Series, but both games have been plenty exciting. The back-and-forth affairs have each ended with just one run separating the teams.
Margins that small could be heavily impacted by a play off the roof. The Brewers, who haven’t played at Tropicana Field since 2023, are making sure they’re ready for every possibility.