The Marlins were reportedly furious with the Mets after Tuesday’s postponement, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, considering any rain had stopped hours before scheduled first pitch, but the game was postponed due to “unplayable field conditions.”
Those conditions arose due to the Mets not covering the infield with the tarp on Saturday, while the team was on the road and tropical storm Ophelia was covering the New York area with gusty winds and heavy rain. So, the field was soaked and unable to dry in time for Tuesday’s game, forcing Miami to push their top (healthy) starter Braxton Garrett back to game one of Wednesday’s doubleheader, leaving him forced to pitch on three days rest should Miami be in a must-win scenario in Sunday’s regular season finale.
“I think it was an honest mistake,” Keith said. “But the way that it plays out, it is hard to play two and take two, and the Marlins could get knocked down. They’re a half game out of the Wild Card…the fix is already in with the game not going down last night, because they couldn’t get the field to dry.
“It’s got Wilpon vibes on it. It was a Metsy type of thing.”
Tarps are often left off the infield while a team is on the road, but given the forecast in the area, that was a big risk, and it led to the infield being underwater, and to the Marlins being very angry with their divisional foe.
“It’s bad form,” Keith said. “It just looks unprepared and unprofessional, and it’s not right for the fans who drove out there and paid money. I don’t understand them not having the field covered. It rained nonstop for four days!
“They could have had the tarp on, completely covered, for a few days. There was no reason for it to be open. That was a mistake.”