NEW YORK – As the rain fell on the Stadium field on Saturday morning, the Yankees were engaged in a heated debate with Major League Baseball over how their division series with the Angels should proceed.
This much everyone could agree on: Torrential rain made playing Game 4 on Saturday impossible. Ultimately, it was decided that the game would be rescheduled for Sunday night with first pitch at 7:55 – a move the Yankees vehemently opposed.
The Bombers vigorously argued that the start time should be 4 p.m. EDT, because if the Yanks win, the teams will have to fly across the country for Game 5 on Monday, currently slated for 5:30 p.m. PDT, according to GM Brian Cashman. The Yankees also said that their own weather reports for Sunday indicated that the best window to play would be in the afternoon, since they believe the rain will pick up again later Sunday evening.
Their protests fell on deaf ears, however. According to several Yankee sources, MLB and the players’ union acceded to the wishes of the Fox television network, which broadcasts the NFL on Sunday afternoons and has the rights to the Game 4 telecast. As part of the agreement to start Sunday night’s game later and play a potential Game 5 in the late afternoon in California, according to sources, the union required that the ALCS – originally scheduled to begin Tuesday – will start on Wednesday if the Angels and Yankees go to a Game 5, thus maintaining the planned off day between the two series.
MLB also said that it was making a concession by starting Sunday night’s game at 7:30 p.m. – except that is slightly misleading, since that is only when Fox will come on the air; first pitch won’t be until 7:55.
These explanations did little to satisfy the Yankees, who felt that making tonight’s game start after 8 o’clock was hypocritical since the league talks so often about maintaining the integrity of the game.
“This is all about baseball taking care of Fox and TV and not giving a damn about the fans or the players,” one Yankee source said.
Cashman said the scheduling was “unfortunate,” but that there was little the Yankees could do about it.
“We prefer, obviously, an earlier game because we intend to win that and force Game 5,” he said.
If the Bombers win Sunday’s game, they – and the Angels – face a daunting travel schedule. Assuming the game ends near midnight, the Yanks’ charter likely wouldn’t take off until around 2 a.m. That would put them down in Anaheim around 5 a.m., and into their beds near 7 a.m., with a likely report time to Angel Stadium near 2 p.m.
Joe Torre was diplomatic about the situation, saying he did not want to complain because “for both teams it’s the same.
“But it is about TV,” he added. “You just accept whatever comes down, because if you start getting lost there, you’re going to wind up getting distracted and using it as an excuse, and this is no time for excuses.”
Most Yankees arrived at the Stadium thinking they would play at some point Saturday. Cashman got official word that the game had been called shortly before 1 p.m., and some players took off quickly while others lingered and worked out before heading home.
Jason Giambi said he had no idea if the Yankees would benefit from the delay. “Ask me (Sunday),” he said. “I guess one thing is that the field will be better. You don’t want to have a mistake made that maybe wouldn’t be made on a dry field.”
Game 3 was played Friday night in a perpetual light rain that intensified at times, but did not cause any delays. The precipitation on Saturday, however, was much heavier. Cashman said he got to the park around 11 a.m., and did not walk the field, but had no issues with the league’s decision to postpone.
Cashman also said he had no concerns about the condition of the field for tonight’s game. Gary Sheffield slipped and fell in the outfield during Friday’s game and the grounds crew worked on the warning track, mound and home plate areas between innings.
Still, the recently overhauled drainage system at the Stadium can handle copious amounts of water, according to Cashman, and should be playable by first pitch tonight.
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