Cubs and Diamondbacks relievers got a little weird during a rain delay
OK, they got a lot weird. Someone might want to check on these guys.
Over the years, rain delays in baseball have ranged from exceedingly boring to more entertaining than the actual game played after the rain has moved on. The nature of delays, in that they can last a few minutes or a few hours before returning to play, means that there’s lots of fun to be had once everyone starts feeling bored and claustrophobic in the bullpens.
Which is exactly what happened in Thursday’s Diamondbacks/Cubs game in Chicago as the rain rolled in and left the relievers figuring out how to pass the time in their respective bullpens.
As the Fox broadcast noted in its coverage, the bullpens at Wrigley Field were moved underground in the offseason. So the only way relief pitchers can interact with the opposing team’s bullpen is through monitors in the ‘pen.
That didn’t stop the relief units for both Arizona and Chicago from having fun with each other throughout the delay.
Their antics included the Cubs pitchers donning rubber animal masks (which is simultaneously hilarious and a tad frightening), both sides having a dance-off, Diamondbacks players setting up a bobsled pantomime and human bowling display, some upside-down uniforms, and Carl Edwards Jr. “fishing” for his teammates.
Rain delays can be slogs, depending on how long they last, for players and for fans. But not always, if people want to get creative and a little (or a lot) weird during their down time.
