Mets awarded win over Marlins in rainy suspended game
The tarp is on the field during a rain delay between the Mets and the Miami Marlins at Citi Field on Sept. 28. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Three days after their season ended, the Mets picked up one last win Wednesday.
They were awarded a 1-0, eight-inning victory over the Marlins in their game last Thursday that was suspended because of rain in the top of the ninth inning.
Even though Miami had taken a 2-1 lead in the top of the ninth, the contest reverted back to the last full inning, MLB determined after consulting with the Elias Sports Bureau. The last 19 minutes of play — including Anthony Kay’s blown save, Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s tying double and Yuli Gurriel’s go-ahead single — were struck from the record, as if they never happened.
There actually is a rule on the books for these exact circumstances: Rule 7.02(b)(4)(A).
That dictates that if a suspended game is not completed before the last scheduled game between the teams, the team ahead is declared the winner. Also, it says, if that game is suspended during an inning in which the visiting team has scored one or more runs to take the lead, and the home team has not retaken the lead, the final score is the one from the last full inning.
All of the statistics from the eight full innings that did get played stand. That includes David Peterson’s seven scoreless innings, his best start of the season, and Rafael Ortega’s go-ahead single in the eighth inning. Grant Hartwig collected the win.
Had the Mets not taken a lead in the bottom of the eighth, the game officially would have been a tie, which would have been the Mets’ first since 1981.
MLB tentatively planned for the Mets and Marlins to finish the game on Monday. But because the outcome had no impact on the Marlins’ playoff berth or even postseason seeding/wild-card round opponents, that was not necessary.
With one extra win, the Mets finished 75-87. Buck Showalter’s final record in two seasons as manager was 176-148.
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
