NEW YORK — A steady soaking and an ugly radar map did what the slumping Yankees could not do on Friday. They stopped the red-hot Rays in their tracks, at least for a day.
Saturday’s American League East matchup at Yankee Stadium will not be played. Rain washed out the middle game of the three-game set between the Yankees and Tampa Bay. The two clubs entered the weekend trending in opposite directions.
Fans staring at tarp-covered infield dirt wanted answers fast. When will the Yankees and Rays settle this one? The team provided the details in a morning announcement.
Yankees confirm the rainout and a new date
The Yankees called the game well before first pitch. The decision came down to the forecast, not a passing shower. Officials saw hours of wet weather on the way and acted early.
The club explained its reasoning in a statement posted to social media.
“Today’s game has been rescheduled due to the forecast of sustained inclement weather,” the Yankees said, “and will be made up as the first game of a split-admission doubleheader on Tuesday, September 22 at 1:05 PM.”
That makeup date sits deep in the stretch run. Sept. 22 could carry serious weight in the AL East race. A split-admission doubleheader means two separate tickets and two separate crowds on the same day.
The rest of the series stays on schedule for now. The Yankees and Rays are set to close the set Sunday at 1:35 p.m. ET. Both teams will shuffle pitching plans around the lost day.
What the postponement means for ticket holders
The rainout left thousands of fans holding May 23 tickets. The Yankees moved quickly to spell out their options. The policy is simple and fan-friendly.
Fans with paid tickets for Saturday’s game can use them for the rescheduled contest. Those same tickets will be valid for the 1:05 p.m. game on Sept. 22. No exchange is needed to get in the gate.
The split-admission format does add one wrinkle. The Saturday ticket covers only the first game of the Sept. 22 doubleheader. Fans who want to see the nightcap will need a separate ticket for that contest.
The Yankees pointed ticket holders to their website for full details. The rescheduling gives the front office a clean plan for the makeup. It also locks in a marquee fall date against a division foe.
This is not the first weather hit for the Yankees this homestand. Their May 20 game against the Chicago White Sox was also pushed back by a similar forecast of sustained inclement weather. That contest became part of a doubleheader two days later.
Pitching plans take a hit from the washout
The lost game scrambled both probable starters. The Yankees had lined up left-hander Ryan Weathers for Saturday. Weathers entered the day at 2-2 with a 3.58 ERA and 61 strikeouts.
Tampa Bay had countered with right-hander Drew Rasmussen. He carried a 4-1 record and a sharp 3.19 ERA into the matchup. Now both arms get pushed back in their respective rotations.
The timing actually offers the Yankees a small mercy. The team has leaned hard on a shaky bullpen during a rough stretch. An unplanned off day lets tired relievers catch their breath.
The extra rest could matter more than usual right now. The Yankees just watched their pen cough up a late lead in Friday’s loss. A reset, even a forced one, has real value in late May.
Yankees enter the break in a deepening slump
The postponement freezes the Yankees in a difficult moment. They have dropped three games in a row and 10 of their last 14. The losing has come at the worst possible time against the Rays.
Friday’s 4-2 defeat told the story in miniature. Gerrit Cole returned from Tommy John surgery and tossed six scoreless innings. The bullpen then surrendered four runs in the eighth and let the game slip away.
Tampa Bay has been the best team in baseball this spring. The Rays own a major-league-best 34-15 record. They have also won five straight and 16 of their last 19 games.
The matchup has been lopsided in the worst way for New York. Tampa Bay is a perfect 4-0 against the Yankees this season. That dominance pushed the Rays to a season-high 5½-game lead in the division.
The standings make every meeting between these teams feel urgent. The Yankees sit second in the AL East at 30-22. They are 16-9 at home, where Saturday’s rainout took away a chance to gain ground. Every postponed game now means one more date crammed into an already tight schedule.
There is at least one bright spot in the Yankees lineup. Ben Rice leads the team with 16 home runs through the early going. His power has been a steady source of offense during the cold stretch.
The rainout buys the Yankees a brief pause to regroup. The bigger picture remains unchanged after the washout. New York must find a way to beat the Rays before the deficit grows any larger.
The next chance comes Sunday afternoon in the Bronx. Then the calendar holds a new circle around Sept. 22. By the time that doubleheader arrives, this division race may look very different for the Yankees.
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