The rain won on Friday night in Cleveland. Day-long showers that turned into an evening downpour forced the postponement of Game 4 of the American League Championship Series, squeezing an already tight schedule and scrambling both teams’ pitching plans.
MLB called the game about an hour after its scheduled 8:08pm first pitch. More than a dozen Rays players had been working out in the outfield, playing catch in heavy rain, before the announcement. Game 4 will now be played Saturday at 8pm ET, with Game 5 shifted to Sunday at 5pm ET — erasing what was supposed to be a travel day, according to Sports Illustrated’s ALCS coverage.
Second weather twist of the series
It is the second disruption of the series. Thursday’s Game 3 was moved up five hours to dodge the forecast — as the series shifted to Cleveland — and the Guardians won 3-2 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven.
Cleveland had planned a bullpen game for Friday, with Shawn Armstrong slated to open, hoping to save Foster Griffin, Parker Messick and ace Gavin Williams for the final three potential games. Tampa Bay planned to stick with right-hander Nick Martinez, and manager Kevin Cash confirmed Martinez will still start Saturday. Now both staffs must recalibrate — and if the series goes the distance, the teams would play four days in a row, a grind that favours the deeper bullpen.
Saturday’s forecast, mercifully, looks drier: clear skies and temperatures near 50 degrees are expected over Progressive Field. After two straight days of weather chaos, both dugouts will take it.
What’s at stake
The winner meets the Milwaukee Brewers, who swept the Dodgers and have been waiting — and resting — since. The delay also ripples into a packed Sunday sports calendar, headlined by NFL action across the country. For now, Cleveland gets one more dry day to decide who goes to the World Series — and who goes home.
