The Houston Astros and Kansas City Royals were forced into a weather delay, leaving fans waiting for updates on when the game will resume and whether conditions will improve enough for baseball to be played.
Jose Altuve tied the game with a two-run home run in the top of the eighth inning Saturday night â and then the skies opened up at Kauffman Stadium, halting the Houston Astros‘ bid to take a lead against the Kansas City Royals.
Tornado sirens were “blaring” as the tarp came on the field, according to Royals broadcaster Joel Goldberg. The game was allowed to enter the eighth inning despite the tornado warnings, allowing Royals reliever Matt Strahm to give up Altuve’s game-tying home run.
As officials monitor the weather and field conditions, attention has shifted to the potential restart time and how a lengthy delay could affect pitching plans, bullpen usage and the remainder of the series.
“When Altuve homered, the ‘Attention fans – seek shelter now’ message was on the scoreboards,” posted “Inside the Paint” podcast host Ryan Landreth. “Couldn’t have stopped the game while they still had the lead, huh?”
The delay froze the game at 7-7 with one out in the eighth.
No restart time was announced as of 10:45 p.m. EDT, with the delay reaching the hour-long mark. At about 10 p.m. meteorologist Kevin Roth said storms were clearing and “with patience they can resume.”
Houston Astros vs. Kansas City Royals Rain Delay â What Happened?
The Astros and Royals had already combined for 14 runs and 20 hits through seven innings when Altuve stepped in with Isaac Paredes on base in the eighth. His two-run blast knotted the score and appeared to hand Houston all the momentum â until the tarp came out.
The Kansas City Royals posted shortly before 9:35 p.m. EDT acknowledging the stoppage. “We have entered a rain delay,” the team announced. “We will provide more information as it becomes available.”
The Houston Astros followed with their own statement moments later. “We have entered a rain delay in Kansas City,” the club posted. “We will provide updates as we receive them.”
Space City Home Network and Astros Radio confirmed the delay immediately after Altuve’s tying shot.
Houston Astros vs. Kansas City Royals Rain Delay Resumption Update
The scoring was anything but quiet before the weather arrived. Kansas City got on the board with an Omar Massey RBI single in the second, added a Vinnie Pasquantino RBI single and scored on a passed ball in the third, got a solo home run from Brice Thomas in the fourth, and broke open a lead with a Jensen bases-clearing double in the sixth.
Houston answered with a Christian Walker two-run home run in the fourth, a Brice Matthews two-run shot in the fifth, a Jake Meyers solo shot in the sixth, and finally Altuve’s equalizer in the eighth. The Astros launched four home runs; the Royals hit one.
Weather forecasters had flagged the possibility of delays before first pitch. The pregame forecast carried a 52% chance of rain with showers and thunderstorms possible in the Kansas City area, according to RotoWire. Temperatures around the time of the stoppage were approximately 79 degrees Fahrenheit, with a strong storm line moving through the area.
Weather accounts monitoring conditions projected the storms would clear within roughly one to 1.5 hours, with a potential resumption around 11 to 11:30 p.m. EDT â though no official timeline had been confirmed as of the latest available updates. The Royals drew unwanted attention earlier in the week when a rain delay against the Texas Rangers stretched past two hours with little to no rain falling at the ballpark, drawing fan frustration over the decision-making process.
Saturday’s game was the second of a three-game series at Kauffman Stadium, according to Yahoo Sports. The Astros took the opener Friday night, 10-8. Houston entered the series 16-20 on the road but 15-11 since May 15 â a stretch in which the bullpen ranked first among American League clubs in opponent batting average, WHIP and ERA.
If the game cannot be completed Saturday night, MLB rules allow for it to be resumed at a later date or replayed in full depending on applicable league protocols.
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