Marlins’ finale against Mets suspended due to rain. How it impacts Miami’s playoff path
Once again, weather impacted the Miami Marlins’ road series against the New York Mets at Citi Field.
This time, it caused a potentially significant wrinkle in the team’s hopes to clinch a playoff berth.
The series finale between the two teams on Thursday was suspended with two outs in the top of the ninth inning due to heavy rainfall, with the Marlins leading 2-1. The game is scheduled to resume at 1:10 p.m. Monday, if necessary.
“Without getting into the details, obviously this is an unfortunate incident” Marlins general manager Kim Ng said after the decision was made.
Ng was mum when asked for additional thoughts regarding the decision, including if she thought the game have been finished with four outs to go, if she thought the field was playable and if she thought everything possible was done to complete the game.
“I don’t really want to get into details at this point,” Ng said.
The decision to suspend the game came at 12:50 a.m. Friday, about three hours after the game initially was put into a delay.
The tarp was taken off the field at about 12:25 a.m. as the steady rain at the ballpark began to lighten up. It sat in left field for about 25 minutes, leaving the infield dirt exposed, while MLB officials, Ng and manager Skip Schumaker discussed how to proceed. Mets manager Buck Showalter eventually made his way to the field shortly afterward.
Both Schumaker and Ng were visibly frustrated on the field as events unfolded. Schumaker even went out at one point and attempted to help the groundscrew as they were removing the tarp.
If the result of the suspended Marlins-Mets game would have implications on the playoff field — either which teams get in or seeding — then the game would need to be resumed Monday. Ng said she is scheduled to talk with the commissioner’s office Friday to get more details.
Now, things could get interesting for the Marlins in their attempt to clinch a playoff spot in a full season for the first time since winning the World Series in 2003.
Where the playoff race stands
The Marlins (82-76) have a half-game lead over the Chicago Cubs (82-77) and a one-and-a-half-game lead over the Cincinnati Reds (81-78) for the National League’s third and final wild card spot entering the final weekend of the season. Miami is also within one-and-a-half games of the Arizona Diamondbacks (84-75) for the second wild card spots. Miami owns the tiebreaker against all three teams.
The Marlins play three games at the Pittsburgh Pirates starting Friday. The Cubs play three at the Milwaukee Brewers. The Diamondbacks cap their season with three home games against the Houston Astros. The Reds play three at the St. Louis Cardinals.
Miami clinches a playoff berth with any of the following scenarios: three wins; two wins and one Cubs loss; one win, two Cubs losses and one Reds loss; or zero wins, three Cubs losses and two Reds losses
The Marlins also can get the second wild card spot with any of the following scenarios: Four wins (including the suspended game) and one or more Arizona losses; three wins and two or more Arizona losses; or two wins, three Arizona losses and one Cubs loss.
Why the game was suspended
The Marlins were leading 2-1 with two outs in the ninth inning when the game went into a delay. However, because the Marlins scored both of those runs in the top of the ninth inning, the Mets have to have a chance to bat in the bottom of the ninth inning.
This is outlined in rule 7.02 (a)(5) of the MLB rulebook: “A suspended game shall be resumed and completed as follows:
Weather, if the game is called before it is a regulation game, or if a regulation game is called while an inning is in progress and before the inning is completed, and the visiting team has scored one or more runs to take the lead, and the home team has not retaken the lead.”
It’s the second time weather altered this series.
They already had to play a doubleheader on Wednesday after the series opener was postponed due to “unplayable field conditions” caused by rain from Tropical Storm Ophelia over the weekend while the tarp was not placed on the field.
Miami and New York split the two games Wednesday, with the Mets winning the first game 11-2 and the Marlins winning the nightcap 4-2.
This story was originally published September 29, 2023 at 12:51 AM.
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