PITTSBURGH — The Pirates and Mets were supposed to celebrate Labor Day together at PNC Park on Monday, opening a three-game series in the afternoon for the enjoyment of all those with a day off work.
Now, the players get a day off work, too.
The Pirates announced about 2 1/2 hours before first pitch that the game had been postponed, canceled due to inclement weather with rain moving through the Pittsburgh area and expected to last into the afternoon.
The game will be made up Wednesday in a split doubleheader, with Game 1 starting at 12:35 p.m. and Game 2 beginning at 6:35 p.m. The Pirates say that tickets for Monday's game are valid for Game 1 of Wednesday's doubleheader, or they can be exchanged for any future 2022 games. That exchange must be made prior first pitch of the 12:35 game Wednesday, though.
With that, the Pirates get a day to recoup after losing 10 of their last 12 and 30 of their last 40 dating back to the All-Star break. It's possible the Mets, currently leading the National League East division by a game over the Atlanta Braves entering Monday, could use that day off even more. They are coming off back-to-back losses against the Washington Nationals, the team with the worst record in MLB at the moment.
The cancellation will mean that the Pirates will get an extra day to prepare right-handed starter Jacob deGrom, arguably the best pitcher in baseball, who has now been pushed back to start Game 1 Wednesday. He was previously scheduled to start Tuesday's game, with right-hander Taijuan Walker slated for Monday's, though the Mets opted to push both pitchers back a day.
The Pirates pushed their guys back too. With Mitch Keller originally scheduled as Monday's starter and Bryse Wilson as Tuesday's, they will now start Keller on Tuesday, Wilson for Game 1 of Wednesday's doubleheader and leave right-hander Johan Oviedo to pitch in the nightcap that day.
In further on-field ramifications, this will give Pirates third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes an extra day to heal his ailing shoulder, which he hurt Friday against the Toronto Blue Jays. It seemed possible, if not likely, that Hayes would have been ready to go Monday already, but the extra day of rest can't hurt.
Either way, the schedule has now been shifted once again. This is the first full-on rainout at PNC Park this season, but it will force the Pirates to play their sixth doubleheader of the season, the team's most since they played nine in 2004.
