CLEVELAND — Persistent rain forced Major League Baseball to postpone Game 4 of the American League Championship Series between the Cleveland Guardians and Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night at Progressive Field.
Stadium crews placed tarps over the infield well ahead of the planned 8 p.m. ET first pitch, but continuous precipitation created puddles along the warning track, according to Bleacher Report. League officials and team representatives conferred throughout the evening hoping for a three-hour window of dry weather, ABC News reported. The postponement was officially called around 9 p.m. ET.
“It never cleared out the way they were hoping,” Rays manager Kevin Cash told reporters, as reported by ABC News. “It started to get later in the hour, and MLB and I think both clubs did everything they could to try to get it in.”
Series shifts to grueling four-day stretch
Game 4 is now rescheduled for Saturday at 8 p.m. ET in Cleveland. The postponement also pushes Game 5 to Sunday at 5 p.m. ET, wiping out what was originally a travel and rest day for both clubs, Fox News reported. If necessary, Game 6 will be played Monday at 8 p.m. ET at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, followed immediately by Game 7 on Tuesday.
Should the matchup require all seven games, the Guardians and Rays must endure four contests in four consecutive days to crown the American League champion. Guardians manager Stephen Vogt addressed the looming physical test, telling reporters, as cited by ABC News, “We’ve got four games in a row. We have an opportunity to win some games and move on. And that’s all we’re focused on.”
Cleveland holds a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. After winning Game 1 by a 7-3 score, the Guardians dropped Game 2, 3-1, before rebounding Thursday afternoon for a 3-2 victory keyed by Petey Halpin’s two-run homer. Thursday’s Game 3 had also been adjusted due to weather concerns, moved earlier in the day to dodge expected storms, Bleacher Report noted.
The rainout marked the first ALCS weather postponement since 2019, when the New York Yankees hosted the Houston Astros, according to ABC News. Fox News noted that it was the first postseason rainout across MLB since Halloween in 2022, when Game 3 of the World Series between Houston and the Philadelphia Phillies was delayed by one day.
Pitching plans remain unchanged
Both managers confirmed they will maintain their planned pitching rotation for Saturday night. Cleveland will execute a bullpen day, naming right-handed reliever Shawn Armstrong as the opener. Armstrong has posted five strikeouts and allowed just one hit across 5 1/3 innings during four postseason appearances this month, ABC News reported.
Tampa Bay will counter with right-hander Nick Martinez. Martinez went 15-6 with a 3.10 ERA during the regular season, finishing third in the AL with 26 starts yielding three or fewer runs, according to ABC News.
For ticket holders, the Guardians confirmed that tickets originally purchased for Friday’s Game 4 will be honored for Game 5 on Sunday, with Progressive Field gates set to open at 2:30 p.m. ET, Fox News reported.
The winner of the series will advance to the World Series to face the Milwaukee Brewers, who completed a four-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS on Thursday and have rested while awaiting their opponent for the opener on Oct. 23.
