Originally published by DodgerBlue.com
The Los Angeles Dodgers debuted their new LED lights at Dodger Stadium on Thursday, and overall received plenty of praise. However, the Arizona Diamondbacks were not as thrilled with the lighting due to some errors during the Opening Night game.
Manager Torey Lovullo acknowledged he was not happy with the new Dodger Stadium lights briefly going dark on a Will Smith RBI single into right field. “They were celebrating a little early,” Smith said after the game.
Another mistake happened while Carlos Vargas attempted to warm up for the eighth inning, and Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zac Gallen also voiced his displeasure with the lights.
But the issue now appears to be behind them after the Dodgers apologized to the Diamondbacks for their mistakes, according to Jorge Castillo of the L.A. Times:
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said the Dodgers apologized today for their blunders with the lights last night.
“The light situation, we’re going to put it behind us. The Dodgers, in a very professional way, came over and apologized to us.”
— Jorge Castillo (@jorgecastillo) April 1, 2023
It’s unsurprising the Dodgers dealt with some errors in their debut game with the lights, but they will need to adjust to avoid having those same errors moving forward.
Despite the mistakes, it was a successful debut for the lighting, which were upgraded for the first time since Dodger Stadium opened in 1962. The switch to LED bulbs are touted as being more energy efficient and have the ability to change colors.
Dave Roberts enjoyed new Dodger Stadium lights
While recognizing there were some missteps, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is fond of the new setup.
“Loved them,” Roberts said. “The lights were amazing. There was something in the middle of a play we got a little aggressive with the dimmer switch. But better them than us. The LED, deal in between, really good.”
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