The 2024 Major League Baseball season is set to begin in earnest on Thursday afternoon. First pitch of the season was set to emanate from Citi Field in Flushing, Queens at around 1:10 PM with the New York Mets facing off against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Mother Nature had other ideas.
The Northeastern part of the United States is set to be whacked by a Nor’Easter storm on Wednesday into Thursday. The system could bring as much as one-to-two inches of rain to the already waterlogged portion of the country. While there’s a sharp delineation between rain and no rain, Major League Baseball and at least two Northeast teams –the Mets and Philadelphia Phillies– have put a halt to Thursday’s festivities.
Both clubs will now play their Opening Day games on Friday against the Atlanta Braves and Brewers, respectively. The Baltimore Orioles Opening Day game against the Los Angeles Angels is also in the crosshairs of Mother Nature. However, as of now, the game is still set to be played on Thursday.
An Early Push for Opening Day Rainouts
The rainouts should come as no surprise. This type of weather pattern is standard for this part of the country at this time of year. The Northeastern part of the country routinely faces cooler and wet starts to the month of April. In fact, just earlier this week, former meteorologist John Bolaris was loudly(?) pushing for Opening Day rainouts on Twitter/X.
PHILLIES OPENING DAY WX DISCUSSION / YOU TELL ME THE FANS
Stalled cold along East coast allows for coastal storm to develop along the SE coast & track North along the coast . Rain overspreads Philly early Thursday morning & continues through at least through late afternoon &…— JOHN BOLARIS (@JohnBolaris) March 26, 2024
He’s not wrong. As fun as Opening Day can be, it absolutely sucks having to sit in a cold, windy, and rainy ballpark watching Brett Myers get shellacked by the Washington Nationals. In fact, all of the Northeast teams are playing clubs from a warmer climate or that has an indoor ballpark. It begs the question: why are we trying to play baseball at this point anyway? Start these teams on the road in a nice warm weather city or in a damn dome!
New York Mets Statement on Opening Day Rainout
The New York Mets got ahead of the game on Wednesday afternoon becoming the first team to pull the plug on Opening Day. New York’s announcement came at around 2:30 PM/EDT, or just under 24-hours from first pitch. The early announcement will give fans the opportunity to adjust their schedule for Friday’s festivities in Queens.
Tomorrow’s scheduled Opening Day game against Milwaukee has been postponed due to forecasted rain. It will be rescheduled for Friday, March 29 at 1:40 p.m.
More info 👉 https://t.co/ESpR0Xrqsr pic.twitter.com/S69Xg0b5Ab
— New York Mets (@Mets) March 27, 2024
Fans should still be ready for some weather on Friday. The high for Friday is forecasted at 53-degrees with a blustery northwest wind at about 21-MPH. So, bundle up!
Philadelphia Phillies Statement on Opening Day Rainout
The Philadelphia Phillies followed their National League East rival and pulled the plug on Thursday’s game on early Wednesday afternoon. The Phillies announcement came around 2:40 PM/EDT.
Phillies Opening Day presented by Nemours Children’s Health versus the Atlanta Braves has been postponed and rescheduled to Friday, March 29, at 3:05 p.m. All gates will open at 12:35 p.m. pic.twitter.com/I73m6Elvd4
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) March 27, 2024
Like fans in New York City, fans in South Philadelphia should be prepared for a cold and windy Friday afternoon. The forecasted high in Philadelphia for Friday afternoon is 56-degrees with 19-MPH sustained winds.
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