The Los Angeles Dodgers dealt with weather-related issues all week long. First, their Monday series opener against the New York Mets was rained out leading to a Tuesday doubleheader.
Then, their charter flight from Newark to Los Angeles was delayed for multiple reasons, including weather.
The Dodgers had planned to take off from Newark Liberty International Airport on Wednesday night after their series finale against the Mets. This would get them to L.A. in early on Thursday before an off day and a series opener against the Colorado Rockies on Friday.
However, there were weather issues Wednesday night that eventually led to bigger problems with the plane and flight crew, leading to the Dodgers spending Wednesday night largely in an unmoving plane, according to Mike DiGiovanna of The L.A. Times:
The Dodgers were extremely grateful for Thursday’s off day after spending all of Wednesday night on a tarmac at Newark (N.J.) Liberty International Airport, their charter flight home delayed first by weather, then by mechanical problems.
Manager Dave Roberts spoke about how the Dodgers used the delay and how important Thursday’s off day suddenly became with the flight not taking off until the early hours of Thursday morning:
The team finally departed around 5:30 a.m. EDT and landed in Los Angeles at about 7:30 a.m. PDT.
“We were on the tarmac, I think, for 8 ½ hours, so we got even more familiar with one another,” Roberts said. “Thank goodness we didn’t have to play [Thursday night].”
Dodgers reliever Daniel Hudson gave his perspective on the situation, breaking down exactly how one delay led to another and then another, keeping them trapped on the plane through the entire night:
“That was not fun at all,” veteran reliever Daniel Hudson said. “By the time they got the plane fixed, the pilots got timed out. They brought in another crew from an international flight that didn’t take off, but then they said they were fatigued and couldn’t fly. So they had to call in other backups. It was wild.”
Lengthy delays — especially once the plane has already been boarded — is a nightmare scenario for any traveler. But for that to happen overnight after the team finished playing a game and making their way to Newark from the Mets stadium, the Thursday off day truly was a stroke of luck.
Dodgers struggle in return to L.A.
The Dodgers had all day Thursday to recover from their airport nightmare. But they weren’t able to rally together on Friday against the Rockies. Walker Buehler struggled and the offense mustered only one run as the Rockies took the series opener on L.A.’s home field.
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