Baseball season is starting all over the country. Teams begin their opening seasons, which will last until fall. Nevertheless, in the news recently, the Minnesota Twins experienced rain at their opening game — the first time for an opener since 1981. Although the linked article implies that the team continued to play through the rain, it also mentions the grounds crew being ready to cover the field with tarps – a standard procedure when rain is approaching. Perhaps, after the game was finished at Target Field, they added the tarps to the field to prevent it from becoming muddy.
No matter if a team is professional like the Twins or is your local little league, a season can find itself derailed by canceled games once rain shows up. Not covering the field with a tarp makes the grass muddy and the field unplayable. While the home team waits for its field to dry from the rain, they end up missing games and practices. Instead, having a few large tarps on hand, or a baseball field tarp, is necessary when rain is approaching. At the first sign of rain, have the grounds crew or the team add the tarp over the field and then add weights, such as bricks, cinder blocks, or chains, to keep the material in place.
While general large tarps can cover a baseball field, many manufacturers of the polyethylene material have specialized baseball tarps in the shape of a diamond. When rain approaches, this tarp is rolled out on top of the ground and secured. Some of these baseball tarps are even equipped with chains around the edges, so, once rolled out, they stay in place and need no additional weight. Made from heavy-duty polyethylene, the tarp prevents the water from reaching the baseball diamond. Additional tarps can be placed over seating areas around the field.
