The Yankees’ second straight home game was pushed back by weather on Friday night, with rain moving into the area around the scheduled start against the Braves.
The team made the delay official with a short announcement on social media: “Please be advised we do not intend to start tonight’s game on time. Information will be provided as it is received.”
Beat writer Bryan Hoch flagged the situation about 51 minutes before that message, noting that a significant thunderstorm was expected to move through near first pitch. The storm reached New Jersey around 6:00 PM EST, right as the Yankees’ update went out, and the rain came down hard enough to make the delay the sensible call.
A postponement does not appear to be in the cards, which matters with Saturday’s Old-Timers’ Day ceremony also on the calendar. That event is set for 1:00 PM EST, with gates opening at noon, while Yankees-Braves is scheduled for 3:00 PM EST. Splitting the day into a long ballpark marathon or a possible doubleheader would be far from ideal.
When play does begin, Max Fried is expected to start for the Yankees against the club he left in free agency last winter. Tyler Mahle will make his Braves debut after being acquired from the Giants at the trade deadline.
Friday’s matchup is also set against a strange run of offensive drought for the Yankees. The source notes they have gone 40 innings without scoring on anything other than a home run, and it asks the obvious question: maybe tonight is finally the night that changes.
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