The highly anticipated Red Sox-Yankees matchup Saturday was postponed due to inclement weather, leaving fans at Yankee Stadium and around the country disappointed. Sunday’s game is still on, and the Saturday game has now been rescheduled for later in the summer.
UPDATE: The game is now officially postponed. It will be made up as part of a doubleheader on August 29. For the Red Sox, lefty pitcher Ranger Suarez who was scheduled to start Saturday has now been moved to Sunday’s game. The Yankees will stick with regular starter Cam Schlittler. The forecast for Sunday’s game shows “sunshine mixing with clouds, breezy and very warm; an afternoon thunderstorm cannot be ruled out,” according to AccuWeather.
ORIGINAL STORY: Weather models have the system clearing the Bronx by around 9 p.m. ET. Pre-delay rainfall was not severe enough to threaten the playing surface, and a postponement is not expected. A late night for ticketholders, however, appears certain.
The delay lands with New York already trailing in the series. Boston took Game 1, 5-3, on Friday behind Willson Contreras‘ two-run home run and Sonny Gray’s six-plus innings — Gray’s fifth straight victory since returning from a hamstring injury. Things were already complicated for the Yankees before the storm system arrived. Aaron Judge is on the 10-day injured list with a stress fracture in his right first rib, and no clear timetable has been set for his return.
“Very disappointed,” Judge said before the series opener. “That’s why we went through every measure we could to get an expert to take a look to see what was going on in there, but definitely not what you want to hear — any fracture or anything like that,” as quoted by ESPN.
The New York Yankees announced just before the scheduled 7:35 p.m. ET first pitch that they did not intend to start the game on time, with updates to follow as conditions changed.
When play does begin, New York’s Will Warren faces Boston’s Ranger Suarez. Warren carries a 3.22 ERA into the start, according to Yanks Go Yard. Suarez — a highly touted offseason acquisition for the Red Sox — gets a chance to push Boston to a series win Saturday.
Meteorologist Kevin Roth delivered a blunt forecast. The main storm line was still roughly 45 minutes from Yankee Stadium, with an hour or more of rain behind it and the possibility of lingering showers after that, as of 8 p.m. ET. He estimated a 9:15 to 10 p.m. start — and flagged even that window as dicey.
Yankees vs. Red Sox Rain Delay: What Fans Should Expect
Judge’s absence looms over the entire series. The three-time AL MVP will be re-evaluated in four to six weeks, according to MLB.com. General Manager Brian Cashman said, “He really is going to have some downtime.”
Spencer Jones was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to fill the open roster spot.
Series Stakes Heading Into Sunday
The Boston Red Sox have won 10 of their last 13 road contests. A win tonight would set up a potential sweep Sunday, when Connelly Early takes the mound for Boston against Cole Schlittler for New York, according to OddsTrader. The Yankees, shorthanded in the outfield and already down in the series, need Warren sharp the moment the tarp finally comes off.
Why Was the Red Sox-Yankees Game Postponed and When Is It Rescheduled?