When is it too cold to play?

Son's first college game it was low 30's/High 20's with Snow flurries. I think a bigger issue right now is not the Cold but the Snow and Ice. Son was set to play a game today on a turf field but the mix of Ice and Rain plus the forecast for today,  ruined that. 

Son's HS team has played in snow flurries last 2 years,

early season games may have started at 35 degrees or so,

but gets it dark by the 3rd inning and temps drop quite a bit under 32/30, sat through innings at 28 degrees last year. 

dark & cold, no lights,

pitchers delight up here,

and umpires are human (and get cold too) so in the 1st month it is  a very expanded strike zone, sometimes it seems almost anything that does not bounce or hit the backstop on a fly may be a strike. 

On top of that the wind blows in from LF. LCF and CF all season but worse early on, many a homerun goes there to die, moreso early on.

Wild to watch and challenging for hitters.

grass field has 12-20 accumulated inches on it now, so no plowing like turf fields,

and outdoor practice due to start next Monday........

(yes, envious of you all south of the Mason-Dixon Line,

Son played HS game last year and the temp was 29' with high winds.

University of Delaware has had 12 plus games cancelled, postponed  moved and they are now scheduled to play double headers Sat Sun and Monday(6 games  in 3 days). Most if not all games will be in the low 30s possible high 20's

When son was 12 or 13, a team from St Louis came down to play in a tournament during Spring Break here in East Texas. They came to get out of the cold of Missouri. We ended up playing each other in the Championship game. Son pitched a perfect game with snow flurries blowing all around.

I will bet that the parents of that coach have never let him live it down driving 10+ hours to play in the cold. If I remember correctly, it was colder here than in St Louis.

Played a team from Puerto Rico last year here in IL.  We had a cooler summer.  I think the high on game day was going to be 60 but it was down in the 40s overnight.  We played them first thing in the morning.  I think it was an 8am game.  No one ever complained about the weather but lets just say that our kids were out there warming up in their normal game unis.  A few had warm weather UA's on but nothing out of the ordinary.  The entire team from PR was out there in heavy sweatshirts, jackets and winter caps.

A question I have about playing in cold weather is the effect it has on a bat's brittleness.

i found this on justbats site: 

"We do not recommend using any non-wood bat, including the 2014 Easton MAKO BBCOR (BB14MK) Adult, in temperatures below 55°F (13°C). In those temperatures, the ball becomes much more dense and could damage or shorten the useful life of your bat. Composite can crack, and alloy can dent, so neither material is proven to be better in cold weather, unfortunately."

Does anyone one have any info on any safety issues which can be caused by using bbcor bats in temperatures around freezing?

 The coldest game we attended was our son's freshman year of college (JuCo) two years ago.  As I recall it was the 2nd series of the season.  Drove through snow flurries on the way - noticed a few flakes during the game.  At game time (1st game of a DH) it was 36 F and stayed there until the start of the 2nd game.  By the end of game 2 it was at or below freezing.  As our son had been taken out of the lineup at the midway point of game 2, wife had departed for the car to get warm.  A couple of us hardy Dad's were standing together rooting for whatever defense was on the field - we just wanted the game to end - we really didn't care who won.  To us a good inning was 3 pitches and 3 put outs.  It took me 45 minutes to warm up afterwards.

Went to the opening series this year (at a D2 now).  Game time temperature wasn't too bad - 48 F and sunny,  By the 7th inning of game 1, the sun had gone down and the temperature was dropping - down to 35-36 F by the end of game 2.  Made a mental note to a) NOT forget my scarf (cold air going down neck not good) and b) bring

I think the most miserable game was in a cold rain (not hard) with temps in the 40's.   By the 5th/6th inning a light but cold rain began.  Game was called in the 7th.  The pitcher's mound and home plate were becoming too muddy to play.

Get a bat cozy if you are too worried.  

Ive never seen snow

When is it too cold to play?

Now, in DFW. 

When is it too cold???  When my knees start hurting.  As I get older the more warmer I need it.

The only real issue with cold is will it affect the bats and cause them damage.  I would venture the 55 degree limit that Easton is promoting is a safe number and you can probably be safe hitting in colder temps.  

As for the injuries - pitchers specifically - I think this is an old wives tale IF you properly warm up.  If you don't warm up I don't think your chances of getting hurt go up because it's cold but not warming up is crazy.  If you are doing active / dynamic stretches to get blood flowing and you throw a little in longer offensive innings you will be fine.

It comes down to what you're used to - if it's cold where you are then you will be fine.  If you get hit with a cold spell and you're used to warmer temps then you will think the world is coming to an end.

Up here its common to use the bats when the weather is cold.  I can't say how many games we had under 55 but I would guess its a lot.  My son has yet to damage a bat in colder weather.  Not to say it doesn't happen but I have yet to see it.  He does try to use an older bat in colder weather.  

We do not leave his bats in the garage or car overnight.  We do bring them in house.  As someone mentioned they do make bat warmers if you are worried.  Google Barrel Max or Pyro Flite.  One uses hand warmers and the other is microwavable. I have also heard of people using an electric blanket but you would need to make sure the field has power. 

It's illegal to "artificially warm a bat" (or some specific words to that effect) during a game.

Not surprising.  Spent two years in Puerto Rico and it NEVER dipped below 70 degrees.

I personally am not worried - S will never again face batters swinging anything but wood.

I was just wondering about the temps and the possibility of it leading to a bat breaking (Actually breaking really doesn't matter; shattering and sending pieces over the infield was more of a concern.)

My coldest game was played at the University of Maryland - temps between 31 - 35 with intermittent snow flurries. Game was played in the first weekend of March some years back.

I'm quite familiar with bat construction and the manufacturers.  Not much of a safety concern.  More of a performance and durability issue.  While BBCOR does not allow the same barrel flex that previous bats had, there is still some.  The cold temps reduce the ability to flex in both metal and composites and therefore reduce performance.  Any adhesives used (primarily in composite and 2-piece bats) can be broken down more easily when bat is used in cold temps but that just results in more severe breakdown of structural strength than under normal circumstances.  So, the bat is possibly subject to permanent performance decline.  The result can be either a temporarily or permanently weaker bat but it is extremely rare for a bat to break off in a dangerous manner.  I have seen plenty of endcaps fly off.  I have seen a couple of 2-piece bats  break off at the connection point but there are not shattered edges.  In that rare circumstance, I would still classify it as far less dangerous than a splintered wood bat.

good point. I forgot about that...

@Cabbagedad

Yes, that is true, son had 2 bats, Easton, break / crack at the connection point (between handle grip & barrel) in the last 2 years, am sure frigid temps were a factor

This is too cold >

I live in the Northwest - where it's currently 62 and sunny. But it's usually cool in February and March, and sometimes through June, with lots of wet. Usually rain, but it can snow occasionally. Baseball parents keep a bag in the car at all times during the season. Mine includes:

Wool hat

Gloves - down mitts, and wool liner gloves

Fleece scarf

Umbrella

Extra down jacket

Fleece blanket - one side is nylon to keep rain off

Extra pair wool socks

Hand warmers

I've used all of this at the same time, many times. In May.

We've only had one game called for snow. The boys hardly notice it, gawd love 'em. Early season, coaches usually pitch kids limited innings. I was just in New York, and I feel for you Easterners, what a winter it's been!