A rain delay stopped the Cleveland Guardians‘ recreation at Kauffman Stadium, pausing Cleveland’s push towards a first-round playoff bye.
“First pitch for tonight’s recreation towards the Cleveland Guardians has been delayed. We’ll present an up to date first pitch time when it’s made accessible,” the Royals posted on the staff’s social media channels at 5:44 p.m. CT
In response to sports activities meteorologist Kevin Roth, the delay shouldn’t be a prolonged one.
“KC recreation received clipped by some showers, however I really feel advantageous in regards to the recreation enjoying, and doing so with out in-game delays,” Roth wrote on his social media account.
Cleveland clinched a postseason berth Thursday, however a shortened outing from ace Gavin Williams would go away a taxed bullpen carrying further innings into the season’s ultimate week.
Thursday’s clinching win got here by a 1-0 rating in Boston and marked Cleveland’s third straight playoff look. That streak now runs right into a weekend the place climate, not an opponent already eradicated from rivalry, looms as the larger variable.
Friday’s first pitch towards the Kansas Metropolis Royals was set for 7:40 p.m. ET on the open-air ballpark, and rain arrived earlier than recreation time. The Nationwide Climate Service flagged a 50 p.c probability of in a single day showers and thunderstorms, with a low close to 64 levels and light-weight rain totals exterior any storm cells. Stadium-level monitoring projected drizzle and full cloud cowl for the first-pitch window, in keeping with Dimers, situations that lined up with the delay as soon as it hit.
| CLEVELAND GUARDIANS STARTING LINEUP | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP: Gavin Williams (RHP) • 14-8, 3.63 ERA | ||||
| September 25, 2026 • Kauffman Stadium, Kansas Metropolis, MO • 7:40 PM ET • Guardians at Royals | ||||
| # | Participant | Pos | AVG | SLG |
| 1 | Steven Kwan | CF | .280 | .344 |
| 2 | José Ramírez | 3B | .237 | .373 |
| 3 | Chase DeLauter | DH | .287 | .452 |
| 4 | Jo Adell | RF | .238 | .395 |
| 5 | Angel Martínez | LF | .258 | .473 |
| 6 | David Fry | 1B | .193 | .347 |
| 7 | Travis Bazzana | 2B | .243 | .401 |
| 8 | Austin Hedges | C | .248 | .367 |
| 9 | Brayan Rocchio | SS | .249 | .376 |
| Lineups confirmed. Season stats proven (AVG / SLG). Umpire: Tom Hanahan • Climate: 69°, Wind 8 mph • O/U: 7 Runs • Line: CLE -145 / KC +120. | ||||
Cleveland Guardians Chase AL Central Title Amid Delay
Cleveland entered Friday at 83-76, holding a one-game lead over the Chicago White Sox for the American League Central crown. The division winner earns the No. 2 seed and a bye into the Division Collection, whereas the loser drops to the No. 6 Wild Card spot, in keeping with MLB.com’s personal official bracket breakdown. Chicago holds the season tiebreaker, which means a tie within the standings sends Cleveland to the Wild Card spherical as an alternative of the division.
Cleveland’s magic quantity stood at three coming into the sequence, in keeping with Reuters, with two video games remaining after Friday. Kansas Metropolis, at 68-91 and eradicated from rivalry, can solely play spoiler throughout the three-game set. The golf equipment entered Friday with the season sequence tied at 5 wins apiece.
A rain delay differs from a postponement in what it means for the schedule. A delay pauses an in-progress recreation to complete it the identical night time, whereas a postponement pushes the remainder of an incomplete recreation to the subsequent accessible date. With no off-days left on the calendar, that make-up virtually definitely lands Saturday or Sunday of this similar sequence, compressing the time Cleveland has to set its October rotation.
| KANSAS CITY ROYALS STARTING LINEUP | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP: Noah Cameron (LHP) • 9-8, 3.92 ERA | ||||
| September 25, 2026 • Kauffman Stadium, Kansas Metropolis, MO • 7:40 PM ET • Guardians at Royals | ||||
| # | Participant | Pos | AVG | SLG |
| 1 | Carter Jensen | C | .235 | .451 |
| 2 | Bobby Witt Jr. | SS | .282 | .443 |
| 3 | Jac Caglianone | RF | .283 | .485 |
| 4 | Maikel Garcia | 3B | .263 | .378 |
| 5 | Vinnie Pasquantino | 1B | .246 | .415 |
| 6 | Salvador Perez | DH | .228 | .378 |
| 7 | Michael Massey | 2B | .273 | .432 |
| 8 | John Rave | LF | .230 | .437 |
| 9 | Kyle Isbel | CF | .220 | .321 |
| Lineups confirmed. Season stats proven (AVG / SLG). Umpire: Tom Hanahan • Climate: 69°, Wind 8 mph • O/U: 7 Runs • Line: CLE -145 / KC +120. | ||||
Gavin Williams, Noah Cameron Face Delay Problems
Williams was set to take the mound at 14-8 with a 3.63 ERA, a workload that included seven scoreless innings and 9 strikeouts in his final outing. A prolonged stoppage after he has already thrown warmup pitches or full innings sometimes shortens a starter’s night time, pushing extra work onto a Cleveland bullpen that has already logged heavy innings late within the 12 months. That issues extra with October every week away and the rotation order for a Wild Card or Division Collection nonetheless being set.
Kansas Metropolis counters with Noah Cameron, the American League’s Pitcher of the Month for August after going 4-0 with a 1.87 ERA, and carrying a 3.52 ERA by way of 4 September begins since. A delay creates the identical bullpen danger for Kansas Metropolis, minus any playoff stakes.
The sequence continues Saturday at 7:10 p.m. ET and concludes Sunday at 3:10 p.m. ET, each at Kauffman Stadium, in keeping with a schedule listed by The Athletic.
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