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Dodgers greeted by snowstorm and wintry weather on season’s first visit to Colorado

April 18, 2026

DENVER — The Dodgers got to play in the snow Friday.

A storm passed through Denver during mid-day, dumping thick flakes and covering Coors Field in white when the Dodgers arrived at the ballpark. By game time, the snow had stopped falling and the Rockies’ grounds crew had used tractors and shovels to remove what had accumulated.

At first pitch on Friday night, the sun was out and the field was dry. But the temperature at first pitch was just 35 degrees – the lowest ever recorded for the start of a Dodger game, according to Stathead.

Even as they were working to clear the snow, Dodgers relief pitchers were on the field playing catch and first baseman Freddie Freeman was on his knees near the visitor’s dugout doing his daily defensive drills – a testament to his Canadian blood.

For those players whose roots are farther south, the snow was not a welcome sight.

“Low-A (Class-A) at Dayton in the Reds’ organization,” Venezuela native Miguel Rojas recalled of the first time he ever saw snow. “It snowed, but they didn’t make us play that day.”

For outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, it was 2013 with Quad Cities, another Class-A Midwest League spot, one of his first stops in professional baseball after leaving the Dominican Republic.

“I thought I liked it – then I played in Toronto,” Hernandez recalled. “Early in the year in Toronto, it’s so cold. It snows everywhere. You can’t drive your car so you have to walk.”

The Blue Jays at least had the good sense to put a roof over their playing field at Rogers Centre. Playing outside in conditions like those at Coors Field on Friday are no fun, Hernandez said and he had no advice to offer his teammates for dealing with it.

“There’s nothing you can do,” he said except wearing everything the clubhouse staff has to offer.

“Nobody wants to play. There are no fans in the seats. It’s crazy. You’re cold. You can’t do anything.”

Those fans had reliever Edwin Diaz’s sympathy.

“I think to play baseball, you should be hot inside,” the native Puerto Rican said, recalling a snowball fight with teammates, also in the Class-A Midwest League, the first time he saw snow. “But for the fans – I don’t know how they do it just sitting there.”

A native of Connecticut, pitcher Emmet Sheehan played at Boston College, both places where the tolerance for early-season cold weather was by necessity wide. He was out on the field on Friday afternoon trying to make a snowman – “mine didn’t turn out that good,” he said.

Sheehan recalled playing in temperatures as low as 17 degrees on a BC visit to the University of Connecticut.

“It didn’t snow during the game, but there were snow drifts all around the field,” he said.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts pegged his first real taste of snowy weather to Buffalo, when he was playing Triple-A in the Cleveland organization.

“I think I played in April in 2000, something like that, in snow, wind, cold. I mean, it was in the 20s. Miserable,” Roberts said. “I think I might’ve thrown out a hit or two, but I always use the old adage, there’s no excuse for a cold coach. I’m going to be on the bench tonight and I’m going to be bundled up.”

For those who will be on the field, Roberts said, it would be a case of mind over matter – don’t let your mind make it matter.

“I really believe it is, I do,” he said. “I think any player would want to be in ideal conditions. This is one of those days you’ve just got to kind of hunker down and lock in for three hours and lock in for your four at-bats or five at-bats and give the best effort. As a pitcher, know that the hitters are uncomfortable. I do believe today is one of those mindset games, for sure.”

Infielder Hyeseong Kim had his mind set before the game. He responded in perfect English when asked if he was enjoying the wintry weather in Denver.

“No,” he said. “I don’t like cold.”

Kim just needs patience. Temperatures in Denver are expected to rebound into the 70s on Sunday.

MINOR DEAL

For the second time in a week, the Dodgers made a minor-league acquisition of a faded pitching prospect with impressive velocity but poor control. Earlier, it was Griff McGarry from the Philadelphia Phillies. Next up was another hard-throwing right-hander, Chayce McDermott.

The Dodgers acquired the 27-year-old McDermott from the Baltimore Orioles in a trade for right-hander Axel Perez, a 20-year-old who pitched in the Dominican Summer League last year.

McDermott made one start for the Orioles in 2024 and four appearances in 2025. He had spent this year with Triple-A Norfolk, posting a 6.75 ERA in five relief appearances. In parts of six minor-league seasons, he has primarily been a starter, going 22-24 with a 4.38 ERA and 12.5 strikeouts per nine innings.

UP NEXT

Dodgers (RHP Emmet Shehan, 2-0, 6.60 ERA) at Rockies (RHP Ryan Feltner, 1-1, 7.30 ERA), Saturday, 5:10 p.m., SportsNet LA, 570 AM

Orange County Register

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Dodgers greeted by snowstorm and wintry weather on season’s first visit to Colorado

MINOR DEAL

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