Game 7 of the World Series, the most important game of the year for the Cubs and Indians, is at risk of being hit with rain. Judging by Cleveland’s forecast, it seems as though major precipitation will drop overnight, and not during the game — if the baseball gods are good and just, Game 7 will go on without a hitch.
What happens if it rains during Game 7 of the World Series?
David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
But what will happen if it’s doesn’t turn out that way and the baseball gods decide to let the rain fall down and wake the fans’ dreams? Well, MLB made a rule about rain delays in the postseason in 2008. Game 5 of the 2008 World Series — the championship-deciding game for the Phillies — was the first time MLB had a rain delay in the postseason.
Rain had come in after the top of the sixth inning, making it impossible to finish the game that Monday night. Then-MLB commissioner Bud Selig was against the idea of calling Game 5 without it going to a full nine innings saying, “I have to use my judgment. It’s not a way to end a World Series.” The game wouldn’t continue until Wednesday of that week (a 46-hour break), after which the Phillies started the bottom of the sixth with a lead-off double from Geoff Jenkins.
The next month, Selig announced a rule that would ban postseason games from being shortened due to weather, still remaining adamant that no matter how ridiculously long a delay gets, a baseball game still needs to be finished:
Selig said that if the Phillies still led 2-1 when play was stopped, the game would have gone into a rain delay until it could resume -- even if that took several days.
“We’ll stay here if we have to celebrate Thanksgiving here,” he said.
So there you have it: If Game 7 of the 2016 World Series ends up being delayed by weather, both Chicago and Cleveland will have to wait for the result. If you think about it, a rain delay in this situation has its ups and downs. A positive: The break would give players time to regain their energy, and one team would end up having its Geoff Jenkins moment. A negative: The anxiety over Game 7 probably wouldn’t go away because Game 7 in any sport is always heartbreaking and cruel.
Everything should be fine, though — unless the baseball gods feel like messing with us.
