Snow in April? Only in Denver! The Los Angeles Dodgers arrived at Coors Field this weekend to kick off a four-game series against the Colorado Rockies, and Mother Nature decided to steal the show. On Friday afternoon, April 17, 2026, a heavy snowstorm swept through the Mile High City, blanketing the ballpark, the streets, and even the seats with a thick layer of white powder. It was an unusual scene for baseball, but certainly not unprecedented in Colorado’s unpredictable spring.
Before a single pitch was thrown, Coors Field was transformed into a winter wonderland. Viral photos and videos quickly spread across social media, showing the stadium buried in snow just hours before first pitch. Even the area surrounding the stadium was under a freeze warning—a far cry from the sunny conditions the Dodgers are used to back in Southern California. But while fans bundled up outside, some Dodgers players embraced the wintry spectacle with the enthusiasm of school kids on a snow day.
Pitcher Emmet Sheehan, sporting shorts in true defiance of the cold, led the charge. He was spotted having a playful snowball fight with a team radio broadcaster and even helped build a snowman on the railing of the visiting dugout. According to MLB, "Emmet Sheehan was seen playing in the snow and building a snowman, despite the cold." The Dodgers’ pregame routines didn’t miss a beat—Freddie Freeman cleared an area for his usual afternoon picking session, and the pitching staff played catch in the outfield, where a tractor had cleared a path Zamboni-style. As one glass-half-full Uber driver quipped to a reporter, "At least the beers will stay cold."
Grounds crews worked overtime to make sure the game would go ahead. Plows cleared the outfield, and the infield was protected by a tarp, keeping the dirt dry and ready for play. The snow was expected to stop by 3 p.m., and forecasts called for game time temperatures around 39 degrees Fahrenheit, dipping to about 36 by the end, with a persistent 10 mph wind adding to the chill. Still, the Dodgers weren’t fazed. Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register summed it up best: “I’ve seen them play in worse here before. Field will be fine. It will be cold. But I’ve seen them play in worse here before.”
For the Rockies, the return home comes after a tough 1-6 road trip, but they’ve been solid at Coors Field in 2026, holding a 4-2 record. The reigning World Series champion Dodgers, however, present a daunting challenge. In 2025, Los Angeles dominated the head-to-head matchup, winning 11 of 13 games. The Rockies will be without ace Kyle Freeland, who was placed on the 15-day injured list with left shoulder inflammation just two days before the series opener. Veteran lefty Jose Quintana is expected to pitch in Monday’s series finale after returning from his own stint on the injured list, but for now, the Rockies’ rotation is stretched thin. Several pitchers remain sidelined, including RJ Petit, McCade Brown, Jeff Criswell, and Pierson Ohl, as well as designated hitter Kris Bryant, who is out with lumbar degenerative disk disease.
Despite the injury woes, there’s reason for optimism in Denver. Catcher Hunter Goodman has been on a tear, blasting three of his four home runs this season in the Rockies’ last three games. Goodman has also enjoyed some success against the Dodgers, with three homers in 21 career games versus Los Angeles. The Rockies will look to him for continued offensive firepower as they try to reverse last year’s fortunes against their division rivals.
The pitching matchup for Friday’s opener was an intriguing one. The Dodgers sent Tyler Glasnow to the mound for his first-ever appearance at Coors Field. Glasnow, 32, has a solid history against Colorado, boasting a 1-0 record with a 2.00 ERA in two previous outings. For the Rockies, Tomoyuki Sugano took the hill, hoping to build on what’s been a sensational debut season in the majors. The Japanese right-hander has allowed just four earned runs and 10 hits over 16.2 innings in three starts. Sugano’s personal subplot added extra intrigue: he was set to face Shohei Ohtani, a fellow member of the 2012 Nippon Professional Baseball draft class. Sugano has surrendered home runs to Ohtani in both of their previous MLB encounters—would the third time be the charm?
Looking ahead to Saturday, the Dodgers will turn to Emmet Sheehan, who’s coming off his best start of the year—a six-inning, six-strikeout performance against the Texas Rangers. Sheehan has found success at Coors Field, winning all three of his previous starts there in 2026 with a 4.76 ERA, 22 strikeouts, and just two walks over 17 innings. The Rockies will counter with right-hander Ryan Feltner, who’s struggled early, allowing 10 runs in 12 1/3 innings over three starts. Saturday’s game is set for 5:10 p.m. PT, broadcast on SportsNet LA and local radio.
Of course, the Dodgers are no strangers to cold and snowy baseball. Thirty years ago, they played the Chicago Cubs in a frigid April 5, 1996 game at Wrigley Field, losing 9-4 in conditions that second baseman Delino DeShields described as “nasty.” The temperature was 34 degrees, but the wind chill dropped to 12. “I saw everything today,” DeShields told the Los Angeles Times. “I saw some sleet. I saw some snow. I saw some rain. The wind was blowing out 1,000 miles per hour. It was that kind of day.”
But the Dodgers have also triumphed in the cold. In 2015, after four inches of snow were cleared from Coors Field, they defeated the Rockies 9-4 in a game that started at 41 degrees and ended at 39. That year, Los Angeles went on to win the division, while Colorado finished last. The lesson? The Dodgers know how to handle the elements, and cold weather alone won’t slow them down.
As the series unfolds, all eyes are on Coors Field to see how both teams adapt to the wintry conditions. Will the Dodgers’ experience in the cold give them an edge, or can the Rockies capitalize on their home-field advantage and recent offensive surge? With the snow melting and the temperature dropping, one thing’s for sure: baseball in Denver is always an adventure, and this weekend’s series is already delivering plenty of drama—on and off the field.
With the action just getting underway, the only certainty is that both teams—and their fans—will need to keep their gloves handy, for catching fly balls and maybe a few snowballs, too.