Why is the Guardians-White Sox Game Delayed Today? When Will it Start Again?

Getty

Why is the Guardians-White Sox game delayed today? Here’s the reason for the delay and the latest update on when the game will start.

The Cleveland Guardians and Chicago White Sox were forced to wait on Sunday after a delay halted play.

The White Sox on the team’s social media account announced, “Severe storms are approaching the area. The game is currently in a delay due to inclement weather. We are monitoring the situation and will provide updates when available.”

By 2:37 p.m. CT, one hour after the delay commenced, the White Sox had not yet announced a re-start time for the game, but the team did post, “Weather is expected to remain in the area for the next hour. We will provide additional updates as they become available.”

Sports meteorologist Kevin Roth estimated that the delay would last approximately two hours, predicting that both starting pitchers would be “toast.”

“After trying to play through the rain, the umpires gave up,” reported Jeff Agrest of the Chicago Sun-Times. “Before the start of the second inning, they called for the tarp.”

MLB.com White Sox beat writer Scott Merkin reported, “Game delayed at 1:37 p.m. CST, 11:37 PST.” At 1:53 p.m. CT Merkin posted, “Not raining as strong but still doesn’t look good at the moment,” along with a photo of a gray and ominous sky over Rate Field.

“Rain has started as the Guardians carry a 2-1 lead into the second. Cantillo worked out of a second-and-third, no-out jam after allowing a run and the first three batters to reach,” wrote Guardians MLB.com beat writer Tim Stebbins at 1:37 p.m. CST. One minute later, Stebbins reported that the delay was in effect.

Earlier in the day, lightening forced a delay in the Chicago Bears’ scheduled practice, so it was somewhat surprising that the White Sox allowed the game at Rate Field to start on time.

“It would have been best for the White Sox and Guardians to have just waited until the line (of storms) went through,” wrote meteorologist Matthew Graber. “Got through only 1 inning and now both starters will likely be removed from the game. Fortunately, both teams have an off-day tomorrow.”

Rain and Thunderstorms Threaten Rate Field Sunday

The showers and thunderstorms are expected mainly between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. local time, according to the National Weather Service. Temperatures were forecast to slide from a high near 84 degrees down to about 78 by late afternoon, with south-southwest wind gusting to 20 mph. Rainfall totals of a tenth to a quarter inch were expected, with heavier pockets possible inside any thunderstorm cell.

The wet weather does not let up once the sun goes down. Showers and storms return between 7 p.m. and 1 a.m., the weather service noted, with totals potentially reaching three-quarters of an inch to a full inch overnight. That timeline raises the odds Sunday’s game, if delayed rather than played on schedule, could still get squeezed in before conditions worsen again. Monday offers little relief, with another 40 percent chance of afternoon storms, so a postponed game would not find a clean makeup window right away.

What a Delay Means for the Guardians and White Sox

Cleveland and Chicago entered Sunday tied 1-1 in their three-game series, with the White Sox sitting first in the AL Central at 60-56 and the Guardians third at 58-60, according to ESPN. Chicago holds a 5-4 edge in the season series ahead of Sunday’s finale.

Starter Joey Cantillo entered the day 8-7 with a 3.87 ERA and 129 strikeouts across his starts for Cleveland, while Chicago’s Davis Martin carried a 9-6 mark and a 4.13 ERA into his turn for Chicago. A short delay changes little. A long one forces both pitchers into extended bullpen sessions or scrapped warmups, and can push managers toward quicker hooks once the game finally starts.

Recent form favors neither club. Chicago has gone 5-5 over its last 10 games, and Cleveland has struggled worse at 3-7. White Sox slugger Miguel Vargas carries 24 home runs and 67 RBI into the finale, while Guardians outfielder Jo Adell leads Cleveland with 16.

Under MLB rules, a game must complete five full innings — or four and a half if the home team leads — to become official. Anything short of that threshold typically gets replayed from the start on a later date, often as part of a doubleheader. A delay simply pauses the action; the expectation is the two teams finish the game the same day once the storms clear Rate Field.

Fans holding tickets for Sunday’s game can expect their seats to remain valid for a delayed game, according to SeatGeek’s Mary Callahan, since the contest is still expected to be completed that day. A postponement would change everything, sending the makeup date and any replacement tickets through the clubs directly.

Read More From Heavy

Guardians Call Up No. 2 Prospect Angel Genao Before Mets Game