Marlins fans furious with grounds crew after crucial Mets game gets rescheduled - "How is your crew worse than your team?"
The Miami Marlins' NL Wild Card hopes hang in the balance as their series finale against the struggling New York Mets on Thursday was postponed after a lengthy rain delay.
Miami took the lead in the ninth innings and was heading for a crucial win before rain decided to play spoilsport. Players from both sides waited for nearly three hours for the game to resume, but it wasn't meant to be.
The lengthy delay tested the patience of Marlins manager Skip Schumaker, who wandered to help the grounds crew take the tarp off the infield.
Marlins GM Kim Ng announced the news of the game being postponed to a later date. He said that the game will resume on Monday, following the conclusion of the regular MLB season.
"Without getting into the details, obviously this is an unfortunate incident," Ng told the Miami Herald. "Right now, we're being told that we'll have to play [the rest of the suspended game] on Monday."
As for people wondering about the decision to suspend the game rather than declaring it final, MLB's Rule 7.02 (a)(5) states:
"Weather, if the game is called before it is a regulation game, or if a regulation game is called while an inning is in progress and before the inning is completed, and the visiting team has scored one or more runs to take the lead, and the home team has not retaken the lead."
Marlins fans were left frustrated with the decision to postpone the game and they vented their anger by taking jibes at the Mets' underwhelming management of Citi Field that could cost them a Wild Card spot.
Miami Marlins eye NL Wild Card berth with series victory over Pittsburg Pirates
The Miami Marlins are a half-game ahead of the Chicago Cubs for the third NL Wild Card spot. The Cubs' postseason hopes took a devastating blow after being swept by the Atlanta Braves.
Pittsburg will host the Marlins for a crucial three-game series, following which they will return to Queens to resume their postponed game against the New York Mets on Monday.