World Series Games May Be Suspended But Not Shortened Due To Weather
(CBS) Game 2 of the World Series between the Cubs and Indians on Wednesday has been moved up to a 6:08 p.m. CT first pitch because of the threat of rain in the Cleveland area later in the evening.
Should rain become a factor late in the game, it's worth noting this MLB rule:
No postseason games nor any games with significance to the postseason -- such as All-Star Games and tiebreaker games for division titles or wild cards -- could be shortened due to weather. All games in those instances are suspended and completed at a later date from the point of termination, even if they are not yet regulation games.
So if rain pelts Progressive Field in the seventh inning Wednesday and doesn't stop, the game would be picked up later, regardless of the score. Almost certainly, that would mean the game would be finished Thursday, which is a scheduled travel day before Game 3 is set for Friday night at Wrigley Field.
The most notable weather-affected World Series game in recent memory was in 2008, when Game 5 between the Rays and Phillies was suspended because of rain with the score tied in the sixth inning. It was finished later.
In that game, the Rays tied it in the top of the sixth. Even if they hadn't, then-commissioner Bud Selig said it would've been completed in full later. The next month, MLB officially instituted the rule saying postseason games must be played to completion.
Some regular-season games that are halted become suspended games, while others are terminated. If a regular-season game is tied or the visiting team just took the lead in the top half of an inning, the practice is to suspend it. If a team is leading and the trailing squad already has batted in five innings, that game is usually terminated in shortened fashion.
