Baseball is doing whatever it can to spice the game up.
Besides the most recent rule changes, ballparks have done their best to make things more exciting by injecting more music, refreshing on-field entertainment between innings, and messing with the stadium lights any chance they get.
What do I mean by messing with the lights? Well, when there is a pitcher change, a lot of stadiums will turn the lights off for dramatic effect. During starting lineup announcements, teams may darken the field to emphasize the moment.
Things like that.
But the Los Angeles Dodgers are being criticized for shutting off the lights at a particular part of the game because many feel like doing so creates somewhat of an injury concern.
Now, whenever one of their players hits a home run, they flip the light switch to “off” to celebrate the moment. However, this recent home run by Dodgers infielder Max Muncy might’ve had a light change that happened a touch too early…
Take a look:
Two main points of concern with that video above (one being far more important than the other):
-Turning the lights off to celebrate Muncy’s 433 foot home run was cool and all, but switching them off that early kept the broadcast from being able to see where it landed. Those tuned into the game on television had to kind of take the announcer’s word for it.
-A baseball that had an exit velocity of 108 miles per hour was making its decent over fans at the game, and then suddenly those fans couldn’t see it. That is most likely a problem, right?
I’d like to think that some fans were probably preparing to catch the ball, and then they just couldn’t see it anymore. You have to give time for the ball to at least be caught or for it to hit the stands before you cut the lights like that.
Plus, what if you do a premature light switch and the ball doesn’t make it over the wall? That would result in an immediate firing of whoever is in charge of the lights and would most likely cause an investigation by the MLB which could lead to a massive team fine.
Social media had a field day in the comments of the Dodgers post:
Some fan for sure just got hit with that homerun by turning off the lights before it landed 😂
— Dodgers Talk (@Dodgers__Talk) April 18, 2023
Oh that doesn’t look like a lawsuit waiting to happen. The lights go out as the ball falls into the stands…
— Anthony Pagliassotto (@pags409) April 18, 2023
Turning the lights out before it even lands….nice call. Some fans want to you know…actually see where it lands. Others don’t want it to hit them in the face. Someone needs a new job.
— Badgermaniac (@THEbadgermaniac) April 18, 2023
Turning the light off like that ruins the highlight and potenially someone’s face or $550 beer
— Jeff (@jeffhos221) April 18, 2023
PAY YOUR ELECTRICITY BILL SO WE CAN SEE THE BALL LAND!!!
— Bernie Wong (@bernsonwong) April 18, 2023