MIAMI -- When Miami Marlins first baseman Garrett Jones knocked the go-ahead three-run homer during the seventh inning of Tuesday night's 6-5 win over the Chicago Cubs, a storm raged on outside Marlins Park.
Unexpected 53 mph winds and hard rain caused leaks in the joints between the operable roof panels and the fixed roof panels. The Clevelander club located behind the wall in left field was kept open, but the outside doors were closed.
''It was dripping a bit in (section) 302, a few behind home plate, 220 section,'' President David Samson said on Wednesday. ''There were about six or seven places that all will be looked at. The fact is the game went on, the fans were comfortable, players were fine. The roof performed better than we actually hoped and expected.''
Opened in 2012, Marlins Park's retractable roof can withstand 100 mph in an area that can get tropical storms or hurricanes during the summer months.
Should one develop and head to South Florida, the organization has a book it follows with protocol to prepare for the storm. Items include shutting the press box down and opening the roof's panels by 10 feet.
''The fact is from our standpoint it was a non-event and we went through our checklist while it was going on, postgame and then pregame today and everything was perfect,'' Samson said.
You can follow Christina De Nicola on Twitter @CDeNicola13 or email her at cdenicola13@gmail.com.
