This story was excerpted from Jason Beck’s Tigers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
After playing three of their first four series under a roof, the Tigers are out in the elements for now. With spring weather in Michigan, that means unpredictable conditions.
First-pitch temperature Saturday afternoon against the Giants was 76 degrees. It was 70 around scheduled first pitch for Sunday. By Monday, temperatures dropped below 40, with wind chills below freezing when the Tigers and Guardians would have started. Instead, that game was postponed out of caution for player safety and fan comfort, according to a Tigers statement.
The changing weather creates a tricky forecast to decide when baseball can safely, comfortably be played. The Tigers consult with local meteorologists, and head groundskeeper Heather Nabozny has some of the latest weather technology at her fingertips. Even that isn’t enough sometimes. Add in teams’ desires to not lose starting pitchers to a long rain delay early, and it’s a difficult balancing act.
So what happened during Sunday’s five-hour delay? The initial hope was the game could start on time at 1:10 p.m. ET, with rain forecast to arrive around mid-afternoon. Instead, a storm hit around 12:30 p.m. The grounds crew saw it coming and covered the infield ahead of time.
Once the game is delayed, the new balanced schedule brings Major League Baseball into decisions. In past seasons, MLB would have a say if a game was delayed during the final series between two clubs but only during the season’s second half. Now, with teams playing every club in the other league, there are several more “final series” at play. As a result, MLB has a say in final/only series between clubs throughout the season. The only series in which home clubs have primary decisions are the first series between division rivals, and MLB can still consult.
Thus, the Tigers were in touch with MLB early and often on Sunday.
“I think we’ll do everything we can to play today and not break up the schedule moving forward,” manager A.J. Hinch said Sunday morning.
The initial rain soon cleared, but radar showed scattered but strong storms on the way. Nobody wanted to start the game and then stop within a few innings, forcing a bullpen game between two clubs coming off consecutive 11-inning contests.
Thus, the teams waited. The Tigers posted a scoreboard and Twitter update at 1:55 p.m. saying the game would not start before 3 p.m., then said fans could leave the ballpark and return, an offer the club hadn’t made in past years. They could also exchange their tickets for a future game. Another update at 4:45 p.m. said the Tigers and MLB were to meet again at 5:15 p.m.
That’s when things apparently hit a snag. After more rain, storms appeared set to leave in time for an early evening start. However, according to sources, a travel issue arose with the Giants, who had to fly to Miami for their next series beginning Monday. FAA rules regarding flight crew duty and rest nixed restart plans, leading to a postponement shortly after 6 p.m.
Hindsight being 20-20, the start could have been moved up to beat the weather, or they could’ve started after initial rains ended and taken their chances.
The Tigers realized the tough situation for fans, which is why they’re offering those in attendance Sunday complimentary tickets to a future game, something they haven’t done in past years. The team was more proactive on Monday — calling the game four hours ahead of time — as well as Tuesday, moving up a scheduled night game and folding it into a doubleheader. Fans holding tickets for Tuesday’s original game will be offered complimentary tickets to another game in April or May.