Playing in the Rain

Back home while playing in the Sydney Major League, a game might be called at the first sight of rain, but here in the minor leagues, it has to be pouring before a rain gets suspended. Tonight we played a game with constant rain fall from the 4th inning onwards. The rain wasn't enough to send the game into a rain delay, so we played on through the rain. It was quite unpleasant for me, as I was sitting in the stands charting the game in the rain. Another team mate of mine went back to the clubhouse real quickly to get a jacket, which we used to cover ourselves up, and our charts to avoid them from getting wet.

While I was at the Major League Baseball Australian Academy in 2008, on the first day it was raining so we all thought we would get the day off. That wasn't the case as Dave Nilsson made us all go to the field, and practise in the rain. We all wondered why he would make us go out into the wet on the first day, but he had a very good reason behind it. He told us that in professional baseball, we aren't only playing for ourselves, we are playing for the people in the stands who paid good money to come watch a baseball game. Of course there comes a point when the game can't be played because of heavy rain, but with light showers the game will always continue.

A very famous rain delay came during the 2008 World Series. The Phillies were up by 1 run in the top of the 6th inning and the Rays had the tying run on 2nd base. The rain was coming down extremely hard, but because the Phillies were up by 1 run, and if the game got called the Phillies would of won and become the World Series Champions since the game was past 5 innings, which makes it an official game. The commisioner of Major League Baseball didn't want the World Series to be completed early because of rain, so they waited as long as they could, until the Rays scored the tying run with 2 outs in the top of the 6th. This means the game would be suspended and have to be continued at a later date. Two days later the Phillies completed the game and became World Series Champions.

BJ Upton stealing 2nd base in the 6th inning during game 5 of the 2008 World Series

Tomorrow night I will be starting against the Kingsport Mets, so hopefully its not raining, since I don't have much experience at all pitching in the rain, and if it is raining, it's going to be one very interesting night to say the least. So wish me luck everyone!