Ian Happ of the Chicago Cubs and Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros both lost potential home runs on MLB Opening Day due to unusual circumstances. Happ's deep fly ball was pushed back 113 feet by strong winds at Wrigley Field, while Alvarez's drive struck the rafters at Daikin Park and was ruled foul. Neither player recorded a home run as their teams suffered defeats.
On Opening Day, Chicago Cubs outfielder Ian Happ smashed a 108.5 mph fastball from Cionel Pérez with a 32-degree launch angle in the ninth inning against the Washington Nationals. That combination has resulted in home runs 97 percent of the time historically, and on a calm day, the ball would have traveled about 435 feet. Gusting winds of up to 30 mph blowing in from left at Wrigley Field pushed it back 113 feet—the most ever recorded in the Weather Applied Metrics database over the prior three seasons—allowing Nationals left fielder James Wood to catch it at just 322 feet from home plate for the second out. Cubs broadcaster Boog Sciambi noted the unexpected shift as Wood adjusted his route to track the erratically moving ball. The Cubs lost 10-4, with Happ finishing 1-for-5 including a single and three strikeouts. Meanwhile, in Houston, Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez launched a first-inning drive against the Los Angeles Angels that hit the rafters at Daikin Park, deflecting into foul territory down the right field line. Video review confirmed the foul ball ruling, and Alvarez reached base only on a walk in a 3-0 defeat. These incidents highlight Wrigley Field's reputation for wind-affected play, ranking it second-hardest for outfield defense behind only San Francisco. A similar wind effect cost Nationals' Luis García Jr. 111 feet on another fly ball.
