WASHINGTON — For nearly four hours on Saturday afternoon, baseball fans sought refuge at Nationals Park and huddled under umbrellas and ponchos.
Once the rain stopped, they cheered as the tarp was unfurled from over the top of the diamond. Then for another two hours, they sat in the dark and were left to aim their frustrations at the blameless members of the Washington Nationals’ grounds crew.
As the rain subsided and field was tended to, an update never came.
After a three-hour and 55-minute delay, the New York Mets and Nationals’ game on Saturday was suspended with one out in the top of the third inning due to unplayable conditions at Nationals Park. The game will resume at 12:35 p.m. as part of a split admission doubleheader on Sunday. The second game will begin at 4:35 p.m.
The contest began under rainy conditions at 4:05 p.m. and was halted 38 minutes later as the rain became steadier and steadier and water pooled in the infield.
“This is a good field, good facility, really good grounds crew,” Buck Showalter said. “They have a great reputation. They tried everything to get it playable but there’s a safety issue there too. I feel bad for the fans.”
After working to dry the diamond for close to two hours, the grounds crew was unable to get the field in order to resume play.
The fans have every reason to be outraged. After their time was wasted and no update given, the announcement revealed their tickets would only be honored for Sunday’s 12:35 p.m. restart.
Mother’s Day plans? Oh well. Thirty-eight minutes and 2⅓ innings were all those fans got for their money.
The SNY booth was left equally perplexed by the decision. Keith Hernandez called leaving the fans in the dark “unconscionable.” Gary Cohen called the ultimate resolution a “shameful episode on the part of Major League Baseball.”
A quicker decision by the umpires to halt action or a decision to push back the start time may have enabled nine innings to be played. But that’s a case where hindsight is 20-20.
After braving the rain, the fans were left high and dry instead.
Mets’ Sunday plans
Now the teams must contend with 16 innings with their scheduled starts out of the picture. They will received a 27th man for the second game of the doubleheader.
The Mets were trailing 1-0 in the top of the third inning but have a pair of runners in scoring position after a Daniel Vogelbach single and Michael Perez double to center field.
“Believe me, we all wanted to play, so obviously nobody wants to play a split doubleheader,” Showalter said. “The grounds crew was great. They did a great job trying to get ready, it’s just so much water.”
In the opening inning, Joey Lucchesi allowed an earned run, surrendering a leadoff single to Lane Thomas and then an RBI single to Joey Meneses. The Nationals loaded the bases on a Keibert Ruiz double and Alex Call walk, but Lucchesi got out of the bases-loaded jam with an inning-ending double play.
It was the seventh straight game that the Mets have surrendered a run in the opening inning.
Lucchesi, who seemed to struggle with his grip on the baseball early on, threw 31 pitches across two innings and allowed four hits. Showalter said the coaching staff was still working through who would take the ball to begin the suspended game on Sunday, but it will not be David Peterson, who the team would like to receive normal rest.
Dominic Leone was available to pitch on Saturday after experiencing discomfort in his elbow while warming up in the bullpen on Friday night. Other options to open the resumed game include Stephen Nogosek and Tommy Hunter.
“We’re kind of trying to finish that up, but there’s that potential (for a bullpen game) because we should be able to cover it,” Showalter said.
The Mets won the opening game of the series on Friday night, securing a 3-2 victory on the strength of a three-run single by Francisco Lindor.
