So far this season, the Mets’ frustrations had been largely due to coming up empty with runners in scoring position and having their opening series delayed by the Nationals’ COVID-19 issues.
Sunday, they added another source, from a situation that appeared to be completely avoidable.
The Mets wasted a start from Marcus Stroman for seven minutes of soaking-wet baseball before their rubber match with the Marlins at Citi Field entered a 2-hour, 10-minute rain delay and was ultimately suspended.
Stroman, who appeared to be having a hard time getting his hands dry and frequently asked for dry baseballs during his brief time on the mound in the top of the first inning, was not pleased about the decision to begin the game in the first place.
“This game should have never been started,” Stroman tweeted 36 minutes after the game was delayed. “Not smart at all. Those conditions put everyone at risk. Beyond happy no players on either side were injured. Hate that I have to wait another five days to pitch again. That’s a miserable feeling.”
The lengthy delay ensured Stroman was done for the day, even if the game had eventually resumed. It never did, though, as the rain that was forecast for most of the day continued to fall.
“Unfortunately, you never want to do that to Stro,” said manager Luis Rojas, who added that he heard about Stroman’s tweet but that the right-hander had not expressed any concern to him before the game. “The decision was made because we felt we were going to go through and play the game and we were gonna be able to use Stro the distance.”
Rojas said he met twice before the game with a group that included ballpark operations members and the front office. They talked to “an exclusive forecast expert,” which led them to move forward believing they could get the game in.
“Knowing that at that point the forecast was telling us we were going to get lighter rain to mist-like type of rain and we could get the game in starting on time, it was where the decision was [made] to go for it,” Rojas said. “Obviously it didn’t turn out to be a light rain. It was more steady, it was heavier, than what the forecast gave us. That’s why it came out as, maybe right now, as the wrong decision.”
Stroman went through his pregame routine as scheduled, but shortly before he took the mound for first pitch at 1:10 p.m., the rain began to intensify. He ultimately threw nine pitches before crew chief Ron Kulpa called the teams off the field and the tarp went back on. At the time, the infield was soaked and Marlins slugger Jesus Aguilar had just stepped away to dry off his bat.
Sunday’s game will now be resumed as part of a split doubleheader on Aug. 31 beginning at 1:10 p.m. The nightcap, at 7:10 p.m., will be seven innings. Tickets to Sunday’s suspended game will not be valid for admission to the Aug. 31 doubleheader, but fans will receive the face value of their paid ticket, which can be applied toward another home game.
The new doubleheader marks the Mets’ third of the season, with the first two being scheduled as a result of their season-opening series with the Nationals being postponed. Sunday’s snafu only added to their disjointed start to the season.
Meanwhile, it remains to be seen when Stroman — who had turned in a strong debut Tuesday, tossing six innings of one-run ball in a win over the Phillies — will make his next start.
“We’ll see in the next few days how his response is,” Rojas said, “whether he’s to come back early or do his five-day thing.”