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BRISTOL, Tenn. — The most ambitious special-event game in MLB history turned into rain-soaked disappointment.
Three years of planning and a growing buildup in recent weeks for the MLB Speedway Classic between the Braves and Reds fell victim to steady rain that stalled around Bristol Motor Speedway, with the Saturday night primetime showcase moved to Sunday afternoon.
After a pregame delay on Saturday night lasting two hours and 17 minutes, just one and a third innings of the game between the Braves and Reds were played before resurgent rain forced the grounds crew to recover the field. At that point, many of the more than 85,000 fans that came out for the large-scale event headed for the exits, and the official postponement soon followed at around 10:30 p.m. ET.
The unique game, in which MLB constructed a regulation baseball field inside the massive motorsports venue, will be replayed on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. It’s likely, though, that there will be fewer attending fans and less overall energy.
“We are optimistic for a better weather forecast for [Sunday],” MLB SVP of on-field operations Michael Hill said on the Fox Sports broadcast.
The game had been projected to be the league’s most-attended game ever in the regular season. Ticket buyers had come from all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Washington, D.C., and nine other countries on four continents.
There were also roster effects, as rain delays led the Braves to scratch scheduled starter Spencer Strider, and the Reds will need to reshuffle their rotation, too, after their starting pitcher, Chase Burns, threw just an inning.
During the lengthy rain delays, Fox Sports also was forced to fill time, and studio crew member Derek Jeter helped do so with a stinking rebuke of the Yankees, his former team, after two ugly losses to the Marlins.
“They make way too many mistakes. Way too many mistakes,” Jeter said about the Yankees on-air. “And you can’t get away with making that number of mistakes against great teams. It doesn’t happen … You have to clean it up. I mean, it’s that simple. There’s no excuses. You have to play better. If you don’t play better, you’re not going to go very far.”
Earlier Build-Up
Before the rain intensified on Saturday, pregame festivities contributed to the rising anticipation for the event.
Players were introduced similarly to how NASCAR drivers are at races, team-themed stock cars had their tires changed during the pre-game ceremony, and Braves and Reds uniforms featured extensive racing iconography. Baseball Hall of Famers Johnny Bench and Chipper Jones participated in first-pitch ceremonies with NASCAR drivers Chase Elliott and Kyle Busch.
MLB and Bristol Motor Speedway also developed an extensive fan festival, capped with a pregame concert from country music star Tim McGraw, son of former MLB pitcher Tug McGraw. Ultimately, that would prove to be the peak of Saturday’s events as the rain intensified.
