Marlins' Jazz Chisholm Partly Blames Team's Winless Start To Season On Shadows, Roof Of Ballpark Being Open

The start to the new season for the Miami Marlins could not have gotten off to a worse start after the Pittsburgh Pirates traveled to South Florida and swept the four-game series. Marlins centerfielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. has come to the conclusion that the team opening the roof of LoanDepot Park had quite a bit to do with Miami's struggles.

Chisholm, who did hit a grand slam in the fourth game of the series, put some of the blame on the Marlins being swept on shadows throughout the ballpark.

"That we couldn't see," Chisholm said, per ESPN. "That's all. I feel like the shadows were really — we're not used to playing in shadows. We normally play inside every day.

"So, when we get a shadow for three of the four games at home for the first time of the season, it's kind of hard to adjust to. You know, we're used to the roof being closed and being able to see every at-bat. It's kind of tough to see when it's black out there and you're facing a guy throwing 101 [mph], you know?"

 (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

Chisholm blaming his team's 0-4 start to the season on some shadows may sound a bit extreme, his criticisms towards whoever decided to open up the roof are at least somewhat warranted.

In 2021 and 2022, the Marlins only played under their open roof just five times. It makes sense for Miami not to open the roof all that often given the unpredictable weather in South Florida. 

The counterpoint to this conundrum and Chisholm's complaint is that the majority of teams in MLB play without a roof at all. This goes without saying, but if the Marlins want to find success this year, they're going to have to learn how to hit outside.

The Marlins welcome the Los Angeles Angels to town this week for a three-game stint, and it's a safe bet the roof will remain closed for the series.