Cubs Beat Giants After 15 Minute Rain Storm Turns Field Into Swamp

There are signs that this may not be the San Francisco Giants’ year. The Giants were in Chicago playing the Cubs on the night of August 19th when a 15 minute rain deluge was so localized, it turned Wrigley Field into a quagmire when the grounds crew had difficulty placing the tarp. The game between the White Sox and Orioles at U.S. Cellular Field 10 miles away received nary a shower.

The field was so wet that after waiting a whopping four hours and 34 minutes, the game was called by the umpires at 1:16 a.m. with Cubs winning it 2-0. Since the Giants had batted in the top of the fifth and the Cubs were in the lead, it was considered by rule to be an official game, and not subject to being suspended and resumed in the future. A grounds crew failing to cover a field correctly is not one of the circumstances that can allow a game to be suspended according to Major League rules.

The Cubs are going nowhere, but the Giants are in the post season hunt. The loss dropped the Giants 4 ½ games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the N.L West race. Considering the importance of every game the rest of the way for contenders, it was possible the Giants would appeal the decision. We doubt they’ll win, but it could lead to modification of the rainout rules when the owners meet in the offseason.

Update: The Giants did file a protest and in a rare move by baseball, the protest was upheld.  The game will pick up where it left off and will be played on August 21st at 4:00 p.m. before the regularly scheduled game that day.