Heavy rain forced the suspension of Friday’s Major League Baseball (MLB) playoff between the New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers, ruining the eagerly awaited clash between Justin Verlander and C.C. Sabathia, two of the game’s greatest pitchers.
The opening game of the best-of-five series was suspended in the middle of the second inning with the teams tied at 1-1 when Yankee Stadium was hit by a heavy rain storm that soaked the field and sent the capacity crowd scurrying for cover.
The players continued for several minutes, hoping the showers would pass, but were soon called off and did not return. The game was suspended one hour and 17 minutes later with rain forecast to continue through the night.
Photo: EPA
MLB officials said the American League Division Series game would resume last night, creating a backlog of games.
Game 2, originally scheduled for yesterday, was shifted to this afternoon, before Game 3 was scheduled to begin in Detroit, Michigan, tomorrow.
“We knew it was going to rain, but we didn’t think it was going to rain this hard,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “It’s not what either club wanted, but both clubs have to deal with it.”
Photo: EPA
The delay meant both teams would now probably get to use their ace pitchers once in the series with both Girardi and Detroit manager Jim Leyland confirming they would use fresh pitchers yesterday.
“I don’t worry about stuff like that,” Leyland said about having the rain rob him of a chance to pitch Verlander (24-5) twice. “I think when the manager makes a big deal about something like that, it affects the players.”
Girardi said Ivan Nova would take the mound yesterday and Freddy Garcia today.
Leyland said Doug Fister would take the ball for Detroit yesterday, followed by Max Scherzer today and Verlander tomorrow.
Girardi said he was not sure when Sabathia would be able to get back to work, though the big left-hander said he was eager and would weigh how he felt after Friday’s exertions.
“I want the ball as much as possible. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens,” said Sabathia, who was 19-8 this season.
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Roger Federer on Wednesday said that staying involved with tennis in retirement helped him avoid feeling “like an alien” ahead of this week’s Laver Cup in Berlin. Federer, who helped create the tournament, retired at the Laver Cup in London two years ago and has since stayed involved with the competition as an ambassador. “I’m happy I went back right away to some tournaments,” the 43-year-old told reporters. “I feel I ripped the Band-Aid off quite quickly and when I walk around the tennis sites I still feel I belong there,” he said. “I don’t feel like an alien, which is a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two