Rays vs Guardians ALCS Game 4 postponed by rain, moved to Saturday
Web StoryWatch this story in 15 seconds →Key takeaways
- Rain postponed ALCS Game 4 on Friday, October 16, in Cleveland. The game moves to Saturday at 8 PM ET.
- Cleveland leads Tampa Bay 2-1 in the best-of-seven series. The winner goes to the World Series.
- Game 5 moves to Sunday at 5 PM ET. The rest of the schedule shifts too.
Rain stopped Game 4 of the ALCS on Friday. The Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians did not play at all. The game moves to Saturday night in Cleveland.
The ALCS is the American League Championship Series. It picks one team for the World Series. The first team to win four games takes the series.
Cleveland leads Tampa Bay 2-1.
What happened
Game 4 was set for 8 PM ET on Friday. The game was set for Progressive Field in Cleveland. The first pitch is the first throw of the game.
That first pitch never came.
Rain fell in Cleveland all day. MLB put the game in a delay at about 7:27 PM ET. MLB is Major League Baseball.
It runs the league.
A sign at the park told fans the news. It said the first pitch was delayed by the weather. The grounds crew put the tarp on the field.
The tarp is a big cover that keeps rain off the grass.
Workers tried to clear water from the field. They pushed water off the warning track. The warning track is the dirt path near the outfield wall.
Rain kept falling, so the tarp went back on.
MLB called off the game just after 9 PM ET. The news came out on the TBS broadcast. About an hour had passed since the first pitch time.
Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt spoke after the news. "This is baseball. This is Cleveland," he said.
He said his team is used to such days. Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said he was not frustrated. He said MLB and both clubs did all they could to try to play.
The series so far
Cleveland won Game 1 by 7-3 on Monday, October 12. Tampa Bay won Game 2 by 3-1 on Tuesday, October 13. Cleveland won Game 3 by 3-2 on Thursday, October 15.
Game 3 also felt the weather. MLB moved it up to 1 PM ET. The first plan was 6 PM ET.
The league moved it due to the threat of rain.
Cleveland trailed 2-1 in Game 3. Then rookie Petey Halpin hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning. A homer is a hit that leaves the park and scores runs. His hit gave Cleveland a 3-2 lead.
The lead held to the end.
Gavin Williams started Game 3 for Cleveland. He threw five strong innings. He gave up two runs and struck out nine batters.
A strikeout is when the pitcher gets the batter out on strikes. Then the bullpen took over. The bullpen is the group of relief pitchers.
Four relief pitchers threw the last four innings of Game 3. They gave up just one baserunner. They struck out four batters. Closer Cade Smith got the save.
A save means he closed out the win.
Smith has been strong all postseason. He has thrown nine innings in the playoffs. He has given up one earned run.
He has struck out 13 batters.
Tampa Bay's bats have been quiet in the series. The Rays have scored eight runs on 17 hits in three games. Star third baseman Junior Caminero is 2 for 11 at the plate.
He has struck out seven times.
What the rain delay changes
The new plan is simple. Game 4 moves to Saturday, October 17. First pitch is set for 8 PM ET. Game 5 moves to Sunday, October 18. First pitch is set for 5 PM ET.
The full new schedule looks like this:
- Game 4: Saturday, October 17, Rays at Guardians, 8 PM ET
- Game 5: Sunday, October 18, Rays at Guardians, 5 PM ET
- Game 6: Monday, October 19, Guardians at Rays, if needed
- Game 7: Tuesday, October 20, Guardians at Rays, if needed
The shift costs the teams a rest day. If the series goes to Game 6, the teams must travel with no day off. They go from Cleveland to Florida between Games 5 and 6. That is a hard turn for tired players.
Tickets also shift with the games. Fans with Friday Game 4 tickets can use them for Game 5 on Sunday. Fans with Saturday Game 5 tickets can use them for Game 4 on Saturday.
The Guardians shared that plan after the postponement.
The pitching plans stay the same. Cleveland will still start Shawn Armstrong. Tampa Bay will still start Nick Martinez.
Both managers confirmed this after the rainout.
Armstrong is an opener for Cleveland. An opener is a relief pitcher who starts the game for a short spell. Then other pitchers take over.
Armstrong has a 4.58 ERA in 41 relief games in 2026. ERA is earned run average. It shows how many runs a pitcher gives up per nine innings. Lower is better.
Armstrong has thrown 5 and one-third scoreless innings this postseason. He has struck out five batters in those innings.
Martinez starts for Tampa Bay. He was strong against Cleveland in the regular season. He went 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 13 innings against them.
His last start came in the ALDS clincher against the Yankees. ALDS is the American League Division Series. It is the round before the ALCS.
He threw three and two-thirds innings in that game. He gave up two runs.
What happens next
Game 4 is big for both teams. A Tampa Bay win ties the series at 2-2. A Tampa Bay loss puts the Rays one loss from the end. A Cleveland win gives the Guardians a 3-1 lead.
Then one more win sends Cleveland to the World Series.
The Milwaukee Brewers are already waiting. They swept the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS. NLCS is the National League Championship Series.
The World Series starts October 23 in Milwaukee, according to Reuters.
Game 4 will air on TBS and TruTV. Fans can also stream it on HBO Max. The first pitch is set for 8 PM ET on Saturday.
Saturday brings a fresh start. Same teams. Same pitchers.
New date. The rain only moved the fight by one day.
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