Sunday’s Yankees-Orioles finale was never going to get off cleanly. A Nor’easter rolling through the region made sure of that, pushing the Game 162 start off its original 1:05 PM EST slot before the Yankees announced the delay at 12:32 PM EST.
Aaron Boone didn’t exactly sound optimistic when he spoke before the game. “The window is in play. Not sure what window that is,” he said with an eyeroll.
There’s still plenty of playoff chaos elsewhere on the schedule, including games with real stakes in Philadelphia, San Diego, and beyond. The Phillies-Rays matchup was shifted from 3:00 PM EST to 2:30 PM EST, and the dominoes from there could still send the postseason picture spinning. The Yankees and Orioles, though, are in a different place entirely.
Baltimore’s year is done. New York is already locked into hosting a Wild Card Series against the Boston Red Sox, with Games 1 and 2 set for 8:00 PM EST on Tuesday and Wednesday. That means whatever happens Sunday, rain or no rain, won’t change the Yankees’ next stop.
The Yankees even waited to post a lineup before the official delay, which says plenty about how much urgency there was here. If the game somehow does go forward, Elmer Rodriguez is set to start, with Adam Kloffenstein possibly available to cover innings. The Yankees’ position players would be asked to keep things simple and avoid any unnecessary risk.
In other words, this one is about weather, not baseball drama. And with one team’s season already over and the other’s postseason path set, there’s not much reason to force it.
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Boston ended up taking the trip to Tampa, while the Yankees saw their Sunday game postponed and not made up, which quickly set off a wave of criticism from Red Sox fans who viewed the outcome as a built-in break for New York. MLB was left trying to manage a chaotic weather situation as fairly as possible, but the optics were rough enough that the league's handling of the schedule became almost as much of a storyline as the games themselves. [Read more 🡒]
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Yankees New Celebration Has Fans Thinking Of Oswaldo Cabrera
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It has not been confirmed as a tribute, and both players have left the meaning of the celebration unspoken. Still, in a clubhouse where little gestures can take on a life of their own, the timing has invited plenty of speculation, especially with Cabrera now wearing another uniform and his old signature seemingly still echoing around the Yankees. [Read more 🡒]