• Loading stock data...
Sunday, October 13, 2024
The Best Employers in Sports survey is now open! Take the survey

Hurricane Disrupts Wild Card Race, Forces Mets-Braves Doubleheader

  • The major storm prompts schedule changes, impacting MLB’s Wild Card race.
  • Mets-Braves twinbill set as storm disrupts playoff implications.
Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Hurricane Helene is making a mess of the end of Major League Baseball’s regular season, and the league is facing no shortage of criticism from fans and pundits regarding how it’s handled the situation. But the speed and rapid intensification of the storm created a set of unique circumstances for the league—in turn, adding another layer of drama to the final days before the postseason.

The storm, projected to make landfall Thursday night in Florida’s Big Bend region as at least a Category 3 hurricane, is forecast to produce heavy rainfall and tropical-force winds throughout much of the Southeast over the next 24 to 36 hours. Because of that, MLB postponed the final two games of a Mets-Braves series at Truist Park late Wednesday.

The two teams, each battling for Wild Card position in the National League playoff chase, are now scheduled to play a straight doubleheader on Monday, otherwise an off day for MLB between Sunday’s end of the regular season and Tuesday’s postseason start. The Mets-Braves makeup games, however, will not be played if they are not needed to determine playoff eligibility.

But should the games be played, the Braves or Mets are facing a potential cross-country trip right after the doubleheader to face the Padres or Dodgers—and with a pitching staff depleted from the doubleheader. As a result, the competitive landscape of the postseason could be significantly altered.

Not Always Like This

MLB has had a long history of being proactive in responding to hurricanes toward the end of the regular season—when there are fewer available dates to reschedule games. For example, the approach of Hurricane Irma in 2017 prompted MLB to shift a Rays-Yankees series from Tropicana Field to Citi Field in New York. Just last year, Hurricane Hilary—a rare tropical storm to hit Southern California—similarly led the league to reschedule a Rays-Angels series in Anaheim.

MLB sources, however, tell Front Office Sports there were some key differences in the situation surrounding Hurricane Helene. The system was not a named tropical storm by the National Hurricane Center until Tuesday morning, and before then had been thought to be a far smaller storm not as likely to impact the Atlanta area significantly.

Though Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency Tuesday afternoon, MLB and its weather advisors thought as recently as early Wednesday there still could be a window that evening to play—hopes that were dashed a few hours later.

Because of the swift acceleration of Hurricane Helene, there was essentially no window to consider shifting any of the games to a neutral site. Such a move not only requires approval of the teams and MLB Players Association—something that might have been difficult to obtain given the competitive implications—but also a minimum of 24 hours’ notice to prepare another ballpark operationally.

“I’ve never seen a hurricane intensify so quickly and in the way that Helene has here,” a league source tells FOS.

More problems are possible over the weekend as the Royals—also fighting for playoff position—are due to travel to Atlanta on Thursday after completing a series in Washington. Depending on the extent of the storm damage in Georgia, though, there may be schedule alterations to the Royals-Braves games.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

MLB Playoff Ratings Keep Climbing

The MLB playoffs are down to the final four teams.

WNBA Plans Playoff Shake-Up, Reveals List of Expansion Targets

Engelbert made the announcement before the start of the 2024 WNBA Finals.

New York’s Baseball Resurgence Sets Stage for LCS Drama

The high-spending Mets and Yankees now represent half of MLB’s final four.

Rafael Nadal to Retire: His Impact on Tennis, Endorsement Legacy

Nadal has been battling with injuries over the last few years.
podcast thumbnail mobile
Front Office Sports Today

The FOS Interview: Golden State Valkyries Coach Natalie Nakase

0:00

Featured Today

Sep 15, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs fans celebrate after a touchdown by Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice (4) during the first half against the Cincinnati Bengals at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

‘This Is My Whole Life’: How Swifties Became NFL Superfans

The “Chiefties” have arrived. And they are “fully committed” to football.
Sep 21, 2024; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) walks through Buff Walk before the game against the Baylor Bears at Folsom Field.
opinion
October 11, 2024

The NIL Era Is a Wild West. Is Anyone Surprised?

Amateurism is dead and college athletes are professionals. How’s that working out?
October 11, 2024

‘We’re Ready for FBS’: Sacramento State Is Serious About the Jump

How the Hornets got themselves on the short list of potential call-ups.
Duante' Abercrombie News Ch.4 interview
October 9, 2024

Tennessee State’s Ambitious Plan to Launch an HBCU Hockey Program

TSU has big plans, but the university is facing an existential dilemma.
October 10, 2024

Silver Defends NBA’s Second Apron As Competitive-Balance Tool

The commissioner points to an ongoing run of parity across the league.
Natalie Nakase
October 10, 2024

Valkyries Make Natalie Nakase First Female Asian American WNBA Head Coach 

The Valkyries will join the WNBA in 2025.
Sponsored

Rivalries Reign Across Red River and the Beltway, London Calling

According to data from TickPick, renewed battles between bitter foes are spiking ticket prices.
Sep 13, 2024; New York, New York, USA; United States men's national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino poses for a photo with chief executive officer and secretary general JT Batson, sporting director Matt Crocker, president Cindy Parlow Cone, and MLS commissioner Don Garber after a press conference introducing him as the new head coach for the United States men's national team at Warner Bros. Discovery Hudson Center.
October 10, 2024

U.S. Soccer, Flush With Cash, Lays Off Dozens

The nonprofit federation is expecting nine figures in revenue this fiscal year.
Jun 25, 2024; Belmont Park, New York, USA; Minnesota Lynx guard Courtney Williams (10) shoots over New York Liberty guard Courtney Vandersloot (22) in the first quarter of the Commissioner’s Cup Championship game at UBS Arena.
October 9, 2024

WNBA Finals Feature a Tale of Two Differing Success Stories

Joe and Clara Wu Tsai purchased the Liberty in 2019.
October 8, 2024

NBA GMs Rank Salary-Cap Apron As Rule That Needs to Change Most

Schedule changes finished second with 17% of the vote.
October 8, 2024

LIV Golf’s Shadow Looms Over Ryder Cup As Captains Address Challenges

Captains from both teams addressed LIV Golf’s impact on the 2025 event.