Brewers home opener, American Family Field groundskeepers ready
MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee Brewers’ home opener is only a week away and the grounds crew inside American Family Field has been working since Christmas to make the magic happen.
This year, when the Brew crew hits the field, they’ll be stepping onto a unique, upgraded playing surface.
Before the Brewers can make magic on the field, the crew is working to make sure the field is ready for magic.
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"Mowing, getting the mound ready, play ready, bullpens, getting the infield ready," said senior director of grounds Ryan Woodley. "Always about player safety, making sure they have footing, making sure that everything is consistent."
And this year, they've made some cutting-edge changes to the playing surface.
Groundskeepers put finishing touches on American Family Field turf ahead of opening day 2024
"We installed synthetic stitching," Woodley said. "It’s called a grass max system."
He said it’s the first of its kind in baseball.
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"In the outfield, basically it's an artificial root system that allows for footing and more play ability," he said.
It’s similar to a system the Green Bay Packers and European soccer teams use.
American Family Field as seen from SKYFOX
"We did a trial of it last year over the All Star break," he said. "Players loved it, coaches liked it, they were kind of blown away by not having the divots."
Woodley said it covers about 5% of the field.
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"The rest of it’s natural," he said.
So the growing and mowing is still a major part of the job.
Brewers new American Family Field scoreboard; 12K+ square feet of display
The Milwaukee Brewers home opener is set for Tuesday, April 2 – and fans will notice a massive upgrade to center field; a feature so big you cannot possibly miss it.
But the grounds crew's top goal?
"Player safety is our top priority, aesthetics comes second," he said.