The last regular season game between the Guardians and Houston Astros was canceled on Sunday due to a protracted delay, preventing Cleveland third baseman José Ramírez from reaching 40 home runs and joining the exclusive 40-40 club.
With Houston’s AL wild-card series due to begin at home on Tuesday and continuous rain forecast for several hours, the game was called off after a three-hour and five-minute delay.
The Guardians finished the season 92-69, and as AL Central champions, they will host the first game of the AL Division Series on October 5. They will face either the AL West champion Astros (88-73), or the Detroit Tigers, who secured
A wild card spot. “We know Detroit very well and have obviously just gotten to know Houston,” said Guardians first-year manager Stephen Vogt, who has done an excellent job replacing beloved manager Terry Francona. “So we know whoever we end up playing, we’re going to have our work cut out for us.” “This is a fascinating field. All six teams have strengths and limitations, and it’s great to have three AL Central clubs in there.”
Vogt and Houston manager Joe Espada met with the umpiring crew, head groundskeeper, and Guardians front office personnel on the covered field for 15 minutes about 2:20 p.m., 55 minutes before the projected first pitch.
“We had our concerns over safety for our players,” Vogt acknowledged. “The field has taken a ton of water in the last three days, and that was the most important thing for us. At the end of the day, we waited until MLB told us we couldn’t go.
“We wanted to play, but we also wanted to be smart, and if the rain isn’t going to stop, we don’t want to put our players out there in a game that has no consequence.”
During the lengthy delay, faithful fans remained inside Progressive Field and watched the Browns-Las Vegas Raiders game on the large scoreboard.
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