Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves fans will have to wait until Friday for Opening Day.
Wednesday afternoon, the Phillies announced that they have postponed Thursday’s season-opener to Friday at 3 ET because of forecasted rain.
“Due to the anticipated rain on Thursday, we have elected to move our home opener with the Braves to Friday,” Phillies executive vice president Dave Buck said in a statement. “This decision was made after consultation with Major League Baseball and various weather services. The open date on Friday gives us the ability to reschedule the game.”
For what it’s worth, the New York Mets have already made a similar decision, postponing Opening Day at Citi Field against the Milwaukee Brewers to Friday as well. There weren’t previously scheduled to be any MLB games on Friday, so in a way, this works out well for the league as there will certainly be an appetite for games the day after the season begins for most teams.
This marks the second consecutive year that the Phillies home opener has been postponed. Last season, the Phillies began the season on the road with trips to Texas and New York, playing the Rangers and Yankees, respectively. Their home opener was slated to take place on Thursday, April 6, but an ominous forecast led to the game being played on Friday, April 7.
Weather, of course, isn’t an exact science, as the Phillies probably could have played on April 6 with the benefit of hindsight. But the reason there’s usually a built-in off day after Opening Day and the home opener is so that fans who paid a premium to be at the first home game of the season are guaranteed to do so.
And so, the first ever matchup between Zack Wheeler and Spencer Strider — two of the best pitchers in the sport — will have to wait until Friday. Tickets and parking purchased for Opening Day will now be valid on Friday. All gates are set to open at 12:35 ET, with on-field ceremonies beginning around 2:20 ET.
