World Series Game 3 at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies, has officially been pushed back to Tuesday.
The Philadelphia Phillies haven’t hosted a World Series game since 2009, and they unfortunately have to wait a night longer than anticipated to finally host one again. Game 3 has officially been postponed until Tuesday night, and Games 4 and 5 will be pushed back a day as well.
According to MLB Communications, tickets will remain valid for each game number.
This World Series is particularly exciting for Phillies fans as the team hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2011 and they’re now excelling as the underdogs of the 2022 postseason. It’s definitely an upsetting situation for fans waiting in anticipation to see if the Phillies can win it all. Luckily, there’s no rain on the forecast for the rest of the week in Philadelphia, so the games are expected to resume as normal.
The extended time may, however, benefit the Phillies as it’s allowing them to make changes to their rotation.
World Series schedule changes: Phillies vs Astros
Originally, Noah Syndergaard was supposed to start Game 3 and Ranger Suarez was set to start Game 4. Now, Suarez will be starting Game 3 and Aaron Nola will start Game 4. It’s undecided if Syndergaard will start Game 5 or if Kyle Gibson will, but it seems as though the Phillies are trying to keep Syndergaard as a bullpen arm, which would be a smart move.
Initially, Thomson planned to start Syndergaard to allow Suarez regular rest. Suarez last started on Oct. 21 and pitched briefly in Game 1 of the World Series on Oct. 28. The game being pushed back a day allows him to get regular rest and start Game 3 in place of when he would’ve started Game 4 anyway, and it also saves Syndergaard as a needed bullpen arm.
Syndergaard hasn’t started a World Series game since 2015. He hasn’t been to the World Series since then, but he didn’t have the best start. He produced an ERA of 4.50, batting average against of .304 and WHIP of 1.50. He gave up three runs over six innings and walked two.
Syndergaard has also been, overall, extremely reliable as a bullpen pitcher this postseason. So far, he’s produced an ERA of 1.69, BAA of .158 and WHIP of 0.75. over 5.1 innings pitched. He’s stepped in from the bullpen in two games and started one. He’s getting the job done beautifully, and the Phillies shouldn’t risk changing what’s working for them if they can avoid it.
Though the rain delay was hard for many to accept, it may have been a disguised point of luck for the Phillies.