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jesse rogers
CHICAGO — “He’s surrounded. Right-center field. He’s behind, Garcia is near the wall and … he reaches out and makes the catch. And Tucker just destroyed it.
“Welcome to Wrigley Field.”
he was the one who called chicago cubs on April 7 when play-by-play announcer John Sciambi kyle tucker flew against Texas Rangers After hitting the ball at a speed of 104.6 mph with a launch angle of 29 degrees and an expected batting average of .880. The ball landed in the right fielder’s glove instead of clearing the fence. adolis garcia — courtesy of the wind, which was blowing at 17 mph. This was Tucker’s fourth game in his new home ballpark.
“I remember it was an early incident,” a low-key Tucker said this week. “I hit it pretty good [Nathan] Eovaldi. It didn’t go out.”
It would be the first of many well-hit balls by Tucker this season that died at the warning track – and he’s not alone. Once known for high-scoring, back-and-forward games, Wrigley Field has become one of the tougher parks for hitters due to wind changes in recent seasons.
In 81 games played on the North Side this year, including three in the wild-card round last week (the Cubs opened the season with two home games in Japan), the wind blew 51 times and 12 games featured a right-to-left-field crosswind. It only got worse in 19 games. Crosswinds blew 39 times, compared to 21 in 2024 and 21 in the Games.
“In the last two years, outbreaks have increased in the summer,” the veteran Cubs outfielder said. ian hape Said. “When it gets hot, it gets blown out. And it’s basically the opposite of what’s traditionally done. Now, when it gets cold, it gets blown out.
“There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason that we’re aware of but it’s been different.”
Cubs head groundskeeper Dan Kiermaier also can’t explain the reason for the change, but someone who studies wind patterns for the team can confirm that it’s a real trend, not something hitters simply don’t notice when the wind works against them.
“It’s kind of baffling. In all my years before these last two years, it was windy in the summer. I don’t have any background story or anything. I can’t really put my finger on why it’s been that way the last few years.”
Happ and his fellow hitters are hoping for a change on the outside when the National League Division Series resumes Wednesday night at Wrigley as temperatures are expected to be in the low 60s, but he’s not counting on it. Hot or cold, friendly confines have been no friend to the hitters.
“More than any park I’ve ever played in,” the 40-year-old Justin Turner Said. “You can’t try to do something different. Hopefully it will be hit hard down the air and away from a defender.”
According to Statcast, based on elements that do not include temperature, Wrigley Field ranked fourth-worst for hitters this year in terms of the extra distance provided by the ballpark. Last year it was at 29th position. In or out on Wednesday, the Cubs need some runs to stay alive in the postseason as they trail 2-0 in their best-of-five series against the Cubs. milwaukee brewersThey Needed I have the edge in dealing with the domestic elements given all the time and energy the team has dedicated to it.
Hitting coach Dustin Kelly dubbed it, “Embrace Wrigley.” “Instead of being shy and saying the wind is going to kill us today, how about we turn it around and use the wind to our advantage today.”
How does it affect batsmen
After playing the first two games of the NLDS at Milwaukee’s climate-controlled American Family Field, initial adjustments to the conditions at Wrigley Field will begin long before the first pitch of Game 3 is thrown.
During hitters’ meetings before each home game, Kelly shows a graphic showing which direction the wind is blowing that day. This comes courtesy of Kiermaier, brother of the former major league player kevin kiermayerIt’s as spacious as can be, but Chicago isn’t exactly the most predictable city when it comes to weather.
“This will change,” Kelly said. “Our predictions aren’t always right but you try to be as prepared as possible for that.”
For some hitters, thinking about wind direction starts before even arriving at the park.
“When I drive down Lake Shore Drive and see if the lake is quiet,” Happ said with a smile.
dansby swanson Adding: “You can’t let it get to you, but it’s the reality too. As a player you’d be a fool not to take that into account when you go out to play.”
Kelly believes Swanson has been particularly impressed by getting extra-base hits into the air for a right-handed hitter. As was the case for Tucker against Eovaldi, the ball often died in right-center – and that was one of Swanson’s favorite places to run baseballs before coming to Chicago.
“He was really good in Atlanta,” Kelly said. “There’s a jet stream that works well for him. He doesn’t have that here.”
“I can’t remember the last time I hit a double to right-center,” Swanson said. “It’s certainly caused a lot of frustration.”
Of course the wind plays the same for opposing hitters as it does for Cubs hitters, so in a sense it’s even on any given day – but the difference for opposing hitters is that they’re at Wrigley Field for three games, not 81. Still, Swanson finds some solace in knowing that he is not alone in feeling the frustration of a well-hit ball resulting in an out instead of an extra base.
,[Juan] soto and [Giancarlo] Stanton hit some balls very hard last season that stayed in the park,” Swanson recalled. “You could see it on his face.
“I laugh and say, ‘Not here, buddy.'”
So what’s the goal as a hitter when the wind is blowing? Happ says the tendency is to try to pull the ball by using the player’s strength on that side of the field to hit it through the air. This is a mistake.
“As a hitter, try to fight him and stay in the middle of the field,” he said. “The best thing you can do is stick to your vision and not worry about it. It’s easier said than done when you’re looking for a hit.”
How does it affect pitchers
Although weather reports show an incoming wind can ruin a hitter’s day, it is always welcome news for pitchers heading to the mound at Wrigley.
When the blowout occurred, in 51 games this season, the Cubs and their opponents combined to average just 7.4 runs per game. There’s a big difference in those numbers when the wind isn’t working to a pitcher’s advantage: teams scored an average of 12.4 runs per game when the wind was blowing, and just under 10 when it was considered a crosswind.
“It could be your best friend or worst nightmare,” St. Louis Cardinals left hand Matthew Liberator Said. “I remember a ball patrick wit The hit (in 2024) was 110 mph at 35 degrees (launch angle). Everyone bowed their heads and thought it was gone. It was a routine pop fly to left field. The next time I was there, balls were flying everywhere.”
For better or worse – depending on the day – the Cubs use several fly ball pitchers, including shota imanagaThis season he allowed seventeen home runs out of 31 home runs.
“My job is to hit them dead fly balls to the warning track,” Imanaga said through the team interpreter.
In reality Andrew KittredgeWho was acquired at the trade deadline this year, he quickly learned from being surrounded by his teammates in the bullpen how unpredictable a job at Wrigley Field can be.
“Usually someone in the bullpen comments on it in the first inning,” he said. “I try not to pay too much attention to it. I can’t let it dictate how I pitch to a hitter.”
Catchers have an even more mixed experience working at Wrigley Field because they love seeing the Wrigley flag flying while they bat, but they also know that those days bring additional challenges for the pitchers they are working with behind the plate.
“I see it every inning,” Cubs catcher carson kelly Said. “More defensively because if there’s a fly ball somewhere where the wind is blowing against it, it’s going to come back to you at some point.
“When a ball goes up in the air it’s all hands on deck.”
What does this mean for free agency
Whenever the Cubs’ 2025 season finale arrives, Chicago will immediately be thrust into the offseason spotlight, with Tucker likely to be one of the highest-paid free agents this winter, whether that contract comes from the Cubs or another suitor.
The high-profile free agency comes at a time when the blowout environment at Wrigley Field has become more of a topic among agents than ever.
after cody bellinger After hitting 26 home runs for the Cubs in 2023, he signed a three-year, $60 million deal with an opt-out, thinking there were more good offensive days ahead. But that’s when the odds against hitters began to change, and Bellinger hit just 18 home runs in 2024 before being traded to the Yankees in the winter.
Kelly thinks the change in the winds in 2024 affects Bellinger as much as anyone else.
“I love him and he’s one of my favorite players that I’ve coached, that was Bailey,” Kelly said. “The way his swing plays. He doesn’t hit 112 or 113 mph fastballs. He’s a plus-contact, launch-angle guy, but with the wind coming from the right side, it cuts a ball that’s hit at 102 mph at 28 degrees. That’s a homer in a lot of places.”
In fact, Bellinger hit 18 home runs and an additional 11 runs on the road in 80 games with the Yankees this season.
Bellinger is represented by Scott Boras, who is also the Red Sox third baseman’s agent alex bregmanWhen the Cubs were recruiting Bregman to play for them during free agency, there was one thing working against him compared to the team he chose: Wrigley Field versus Fenway Park.
According to sources familiar with the situation, Bregman wanted more guaranteed dollars to sign with the Cubs – at least five years’ worth – but was willing to take a shorter deal with an opt-out in Boston because of the better hitting environment there. Bregman compiled a 0.821 OPS this season, his highest since 2019, and he seems likely to opt out of his three-year, $120 million deal.
“I don’t think it’s making batsmen hesitate, but people are more aware of it now,” Kelly said. “Agents are aware of this.”
Perhaps no player in Chicago is more familiar with how the air at Wrigley can affect and change a player over time than Happ, a switch-hitter who has been with the team since 2017. Happ will again hit free agency after next season, after signing a three-year contract to remain with the Cubs through 2023. Happ was asked how the conditions at Wrigley might affect a player who is headed to the open market, like Tucker will be in November.
“expected [stats] Help tell a different story by going into free agency, but it doesn’t affect you Know The wind is blowing in,” Happ said. “Mentally, it’s challenging.”
