As Hurricane Ian barrels through Florida and up the East Coast, teams are monitoring the storm to see if it will affect their scheduled games.
Among those: the Braves and Mets.
New York is one game ahead of its rival for first place in the National League East with just a week left in the regular season. The teams are also set to meet in a three-game series starting Friday in Atlanta.
But with Ian projected to bring rain to Georgia this weekend, they're looking at contingency plans to ensure these games with huge playoff implications are played. One is to postpone Saturday's game and play a day-night doubleheader Sunday.
MORE: Hurricane Ian updates — Latest on schedule changes from across sports world
Another plan — reportedly proposed by the Mets — was to move the series up day and start on Thursday. After all, both teams are scheduled to be off that day. The Mets would have moved up their home game Wednesday against the Marlins from 7:10 p.m. to 4 p.m. and then travel to Atlanta.
Mets were willing to move today’s game to 4 p.m. and then play tomorrow night in Atlanta, ahead of the weather. The Braves declined.
— Mike Puma (@NYPost_Mets) September 28, 2022
But the idea was reportedly shut down by the Braves and MLB, which has say in the matter. Why? It becomes obvious once you look at the teams' recent schedules.
While the Mets have had two off-days within the past week, the Braves have had just one day without a game since Sept. 9. Taking a rest day away from Atlanta so close to such a crucial series could result in a big advantage for the Mets.
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It seems like a smart call by the Braves to try to retain one day of rest before a series that could very well decide who wins the division.
MLB has yet to release plans on how this weekend's series will be played.
