Atlanta Braves and New York Mets The most important series of the 2024 MLB regular season has begun Atlanta won the first game of a three-game set on Tuesday night. The Mets are a half-game ahead of the wild-card spot, the Braves are a half-game behind Arizona and the No. 6 seed. New York can clinch a postseason berth with two wins out of three games. The Braves can't clinch a playoff berth in this series, but this is their best (last?) chance to gain a significant lead. There is one problem this week, though: Hurricane Helene and the weather.
Heavy rain is forecast in Atlanta on Wednesday and Thursday as the storm moves toward the Florida Gulf Coast. MLB has not made any changes to the schedule as of Wednesday afternoon. Wednesday and Thursday's games are currently scheduled to be played at 7:20 p.m. ET.
Here's the hourly forecast for Wednesday night and Thursday evening, according to First Alert Weather.
First Alert Weather
According to the NHC, the storm, which was officially declared a hurricane in an 11 a.m. update released by the National Hurricane Center on Wednesday, is expected to make landfall in Florida on Thursday as a Category 3 hurricane with winds in excess of 110 mph, bringing with it “life-threatening storm surge, damaging winds, and flooding rainfall” to much of Florida and the southeastern U.S.
Due to the projected path of Hurricane Helene it will affect Georgia later in the week. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has already declared a state of emergency. Read the latest news from CBS News here:
CBS News
The forecast makes it almost certain that the Braves-Mets series will be impacted in some way. CBS Sports has learned that the league is expected to coordinate with both clubs as well as independent weather sources before making a decision about rescheduling the games.
MLB is grappling with scheduling constraints for this crucial series as the regular season ends on Sunday and The 12-team postseason begins Tuesday, October 1The Mets are set to conclude the regular season with a three-game set against the Brewers in Milwaukee, while the Braves will host the Royals Friday through Sunday (weather permitting).
So what can MLB do if one or two Braves-Mets games have to be rescheduled? Here are two possible options.
Move games to a neutral venue
When the weather forecast becomes worrisome enough, MLB moves games to a neutral site. Entire series have been moved in the past. Here are three examples:
- 14-15 September, 2008: Chicago Cubs vs. Houston Astros at Miller Park (Milwaukee). Moved due to Hurricane Ike.
- August 29-31, 2017: Texas Rangers vs. Houston Astros at Tropicana Field (Tampa). Moved due to Hurricane Harvey.
- September 11-13, 2017: New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays at Citi Field (New York). Moved due to Hurricane Irma.
The Astros vs. Cubs series in 2008 is notable for Carlos Zambrano's no-hitter, which was MLB's first neutral site no-hitter.
Playing at a neutral site isn't optimal — the entire series should be played in the same stadium under similar conditions — but if Hurricane Helene forces the league to move Wednesday and/or Thursday's games, it will have to be moved. The Rangers are on the road this week, so Globe Life Field in Arlington comes up as a possible alternate site, though that's just my speculation. The short flight from Atlanta and the retractable roof ensure there are no weather-related issues.
Continue the game on Monday (if necessary)
This is the least desirable option. MLB could postpone the Wednesday and Thursday games, and if weekend results say they must be played to decide the postseason race, they would be made up on the following Monday, the off day between the end of the regular season and the start of the Wild Card Series. If the games have no bearing on the race, they would not be made up, and it could result in a 160-game season for the Braves and Mets. However, looking at the standings, it seems likely the games would matter to one or both teams.