Why is the Twins-Yankees Game Delayed Today? When Will it Start?

Yankee Stadium sat under tarp Friday night as the New York Yankees and Minnesota Twins waited out a Bronx thunderstorm with the game tied 1-1 in the third inning.

A prolonged stoppage threatens to push both bullpens into action sooner than either manager wants, with two rotations already stretched thin through the season’s opening months.

At 8:01 p.m. ET, the Yankees announced, “We are officially in a rain delay. Updated information will be provided as it is received.”

At 8:40 p.m. the Yankees announced that the game would resume at approximately 8:45 p.m.

A severe thunderstorm warning covered New York until 7:30 p.m. CDT, with thunder reported in the vicinity shortly after 7 p.m., according to Weather.com’s hourly forecast. Forecasters put the chance of additional storms at 55 percent around 8 p.m. CDT, but the outlook cleared significantly after 9 p.m., with no rain expected the rest of the night.

Fans in Yankee Stadium were able to watch the Cape Verde vs. Argentina World Cup soccer match on the big screen as they waited of the rain delay to clear.

Yankees, Twins Trade Homers Before Rain

Second baseman Kody Clemens put Minnesota ahead 1-0 in the first inning with a solo home run off Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole, according to Puckett’s Pond‘s Jackson Kruse. Center fielder Trent Grisham answered immediately, tying the game with a solo shot off Twins rookie right-hander Mike Paredes in the bottom of the first.

Cole settled in after the homer. The 35-year-old worked three innings, allowing just two hits and no walks while striking out four before the delay hit. Paredes matched him pitch for pitch, permitting only the Grisham homer across two innings with no walks of his own, according to Kruse.

If the stoppage drags on, both skippers may need to lean on relief corps earlier than planned, with neither rotation deep enough this month to absorb a shortened outing without consequence.

The Twins issued a their own message, noting a delay and promising further details once available, according to the Twins‘ account. “The tarp is on the field at Yankee Stadium. There are thunderstorms in the area,” a Yankees fan outlet posted, as quoted by Fireside Yankees.

World Cup Watch Party Fills Rain Delay at Yankee Stadium

With the tarp down and thunder rumbling nearby, Yankee Stadium’s video board switched over to the Argentina-Cape Verde World Cup match. The crowd roared when Argentina scored, turning a rain delay into an impromptu soccer watch party, according to reporter Jorge Castillo’s account of the scene.

No resumption time had been announced as the delay stretched on. Both clubs enter the series near the top of their divisions. Minnesota shares first place in the American League Central, while New York holds a share of the top spot in the American League East.

First baseman Josh Bell leads the Twins with 11 home runs and 56 RBI, and catcher Victor Caratini has hit .237 with a .337 on-base percentage. New York has ridden pitching more than power, carrying a team ERA more than a full run better than Minnesota’s, even as first baseman Ben Rice has hit .362 and Aaron Judge has supplied the thump with a team-high 17 home runs, but remains injured.

Weather permitting, both clubs still hope to salvage nine full innings before the night is done.

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