Hurricane Hilary forces MLB to reschedule three games in California in anticipation of the Category 4 storm’s hazardous weather conditions
- All three games will now be played as double headers on Saturday
- The LA Galaxy and LAFC also moved games ahead of the storm
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Major League Baseball has moved three of this Sunday’s games in California ahead of dangerous weather conditions predicted for Hurricane Hilary.
MLB announced the change as the storm raged off the Pacific coast of Mexico on Friday as a powerful Category 4 storm.
All games that the league decided to change, namely the Arizona Diamondbacks at the San Diego Padres, Tampa Bay Rays at the Los Angeles Angels and Miami Marlins at the Los Angeles Dodgers, will now be played as doubleheaders on Saturday.
“I’m very thankful that they were proactive,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
“It will certainly be an inconvenience for some people who had Sunday tickets, but it seemed logical to me to at least be ahead of it. … This is crazy. A hurricane, Southern California, this is clearly unprecedented. I just want to make sure we’re there for it, that people get safe and that it passes us by.”
MLB moved three games this weekend in anticipation of Hurricane Hilary
The game between San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks has been rescheduled by MLB
The final of the three rescheduled games was the LA Angeles and the Tampa Bay Rays
The first game in San Diego starts at 12:10 AM local time and the second is scheduled for 5:40 PM. The opener at Angel Stadium kicks off at 1:07 PM local time and the nightcap is scheduled for 6:07 PM. Games at Dodger Stadium are scheduled for 12:00 p.m. and 6:10 p.m.
“I’ve lived here for 52 years, I’ve never heard anything like it,” said Angels manager Phil Nevin. Part of me is like, “Wow.” Some of you are excited to see what’s going on with these things, but I’ll be honest, the more I read and hear about it, the more I get a little nervous.”
Major League Soccer’s LA Galaxy and Los Angeles Football Club also moved games. The Galaxy was scheduled to host Real Salt Lake on Sunday, but that game was postponed to October 14.
LAFC’s game against Colorado has been postponed from Sunday to Wednesday night at BMO Stadium.
Hilary gained strength early Friday before shedding some steam, with maximum sustained winds reaching 130 mph in the evening, after falling from 150 mph.
It was forecast to still be a hurricane as it approached Mexico’s Baja California peninsula Saturday evening and a tropical storm as it approached southern California on Sunday.
The LA Galaxy and LAFC also moved games in anticipation of the expected storm
Hurricane Hilary grew to Category 4 and could soon reach Southern California
According to the National Weather Service, no tropical storm has made landfall in Southern California since September 25, 1939.
“To be totally honest, I didn’t even know hurricanes were an option here,” said Tampa Bay pitcher Zach Eflin. “I only found out today. I just pray it will be a tropical storm by the time it makes landfall here.”
The NFL has two exhibition games scheduled for this weekend at SoFi Stadium in Southern California. The Los Angeles Rams host the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday night and the Los Angeles Chargers take on the New Orleans Saints on Sunday night.
There was no word from the league about the status of those two games.