The Cincinnati Reds and Arizona Diamondbacks will resume their game on Wednesday in the top of the 8th inning at 5:10pm ET. It will be followed by the regularly scheduled game (which will begin no earlier than 6:40pm ET, but could start later depending on the length of the resumed game).
Per the Reds, if you had tickets to the game on Tuesday you will need tickers for he regularly scheduled game on Wednesday in order to get in. They, however, will offer discounted tickets for the “double header” on Wednesday if you did have tickets for Tuesday. If you have a ticket for the regularly scheduled game on Wednesday then you can attend both games.
An extra player will be allowed for game two on Wednesday, but that player is only eligible for the second game.
When the game resumes play on Wednesday the Diamondbacks will have the bases loaded and one out in the top of the 8th inning. We got there after a difficult inning by the Reds relievers and by the umpires on the field. Tejay Antone allowed a game tying leadoff homer before being replaced by Amir Garrett. He allowed a walk and a double before a lineout to Eugenio Suárez went down in the books for the 1st out of the inning. That was the last batter he faced before manager David Bell turned the game over to Lucas Sims.
In the middle of an absolute downpour of both rain and sleet, Lucas Sims hit the first batter he faced to load the bases. He would then walk the next batter to put Arizona up 5-4. At that point Sims basically refused to continue pitching. He asked for a new baseball, then tossed it off of the field. He did the same thing with two other baseballs. Ben Verlander of Fox Sports has the clip:
Here's how it all went down in Cincinnati.
Absurd the tarp wasn't called for while rain and sleet are pouring down and Sims had no command.
When the grounds crew is finally called for, it's for mound repair. pic.twitter.com/Hk5bggFVG1
— Ben Verlander (@BenVerlander) April 21, 2021
Despite all of that going on, the umpires called the grounds crew to the field to work on the mound. They attempted that for about one minute while the Reds walked off of the field. THEN the tarp was called for and the game was delayed. It was ultimately suspended at that point in one of the most ridiculous five minutes of baseball you’ll see.
If you’re looking for the game resumption thread and preview for game two, head on over here and join in the discussion.
Bring up Hunter Greene to finish the inning with 105mph fastballs!
The game should have been called as a rain shortened final, and the score reverts to the last full inning giving the Reds a 4-3 win.
Can the Reds file a protest?
Yes I agree, in the official MLB rules thays what it states, just curious why that wasnt put into affect?
Agree. What I said last night.
Agree, whoever the captain is of this umpiring crew is should be demoted or fired and the Reds given the win. One of the most egregious umpire abuse of “power” I have ever witnessed. Hats off to our coach and team for patience during this circus and monsoon !
Another blown lead, don’t know how to win. Goes to show you that the new offensive approach and winning results didn’t come from management it came from sick and tired fans.
What?
Given the bizarre circumstances of how the game was suspended, including the fact we had the lead until the sleet storm, I am not sure how this game can be minned on management.
Do you even know what game you are talking about? Do you know what planet you are on? Your comment is about as far out in Left field as the umpires were last night, when they thought it was okay to play baseball in a snowstorm.
What is this comment??? The new offensive approach and winning ways is due to sick and tired fans??? That is beyond absurd.
Not only was it pouring, but was super cold in the 30s. I know it was late innings and they just wanted to finish the game, but not calling it probably cost them the win.
First the unfair and biased suspension to Castellanos and now this late game suspension call, just non-sense. Not an easy call for the player that will continue pitching by the Reds…
Can umpires be disciplined for endangering players? I mean it was raining like crazy for several minutes before they finally called for the tarps.
Seems pretty messed up in my opinion.
Something fishy for sure
I for one am starved for something that holds “professional” umpires to a real professional standard.
Would anyone want to take their car to a mechanic that only fixed your car 65% of the time he/she worked on it? Why should professional baseball players (who, as we’ve recently seen, ARE subject to accountability even when they have nothing to be ashamed of) be forced to subjugate themselves to the arbitrary whim of “professional” umpires, who can never be made to answer for THEIR mistakes? It’s like saying you can’t sue a doctor for malpractice and that you still have to keep going to the same malpracticing doctor to boot.
It looked like the Ump got ticked, I’m guessing first with Tucker Barbhart and then with Bell. Then Sims kept asking for new baseballs and the Ump called for the grounds crew to fix the mound.
It appears the Ump was more worried about being right than doing the right thing.
The ump didn’t call the cleanest game either. Not impressed. Reds are 1-1 in weird late inning outcomes – most likely.
Agreed. The strike zone was a mess. I kept wondering if he was cold and wanted the game to be over… but then the rain and sleet came and dispelled that theory.
“ It looked like the Ump got ticked”
And that’s my point above. The UMP got ticked and let it bias his performance. That is UNprofessional. When players get ticked and act out on the field, there are consequences
For all the talk of health and safety protocols recently, seems like the umps went against the idea of health and safety making Sims pitch in sleet and rain.
+1000. yes the hypocrisy of mlb is quite amazing. if somebody sneezes or coughs he must sit out for 2 weeks. But, yeah, go ahead and play in an ice storm
Yes it was plain egotism on part of umpire.
IF I’m on the mound and it’s raining that hard plus hailing, as Larkin said, plus you could see it bouncing off Sims cap, I’m not pitching either. Come on.
Has there ever been a case in MLB where a manager pulled his players off the field for their health and safety?
Sparky in 1973 playoffs in Shea stadium
Knowing the weather forecast, you would have thought the umps would have made some effort to speed up the game. Instead, a lot of boarder-line pitches were called balls against both teams for the first half of the game. The game was over 3 hours old after the 7th inning. The game should obviously been halted after the 7th. That’s on the crew chief, not the home plate ump. Bell should have left DeLeon in for 2-3 innings. Major mistake on his part. Then he used Antone in the same game! Just Sims, Fulmer and Ramano left for the suspended game? Blandino warming up.
Given the number of innings left, might have been advisable to keep him in there another inning (or two). But it was playing out pretty well…bringing TJ in once we got the lead, maybe even to finish the game. Not sure i would have taken TJ out after the HR to bring in Garrett…too tight a game for Garrett until he gets his mojo back. Gotta get out of the 8th with no more damage, and Reds get two tries to salvage the game.
Really need to get Suarez going offensively…he commits to those breaking balls low and away and is no where close to making contact…becoming very predictable.
He is just strking out way too much and should not be in the three hole.
Total boss move by Sims to keep rejecting baseballs. Point made!
Unfortunately, lost in all that was the suspect pitching. Castillo with another clunker (pretty obvious he’s not a cold weather pitcher)…..Garrett falling further down the bullpen pecking order. We also saw Antone being used for the second straight time for fewer than 30 pitches—-the opposite of what should be happening.
These sorts of disjointed performances lay the groundwork for losing streaks. Big game tonight, gotta stop the contagion!
What happened to rain-outs? I don’t understand how a game can be suspended after the 5th inning. I’m happy the Reds have an option to come back and win (slight though it is), I just don’t understand what triggers a suspended game rather than an official rain out
A rain out means that the game simply never happened. A “called game” is when it’s beyond the top of the 5th inning. But the game can only be called if the home team did not lose the lead in an inning that’s taking place at the time and they haven’t had a chance to bat yet. Since the Reds lost the lead in an inning that was taking place while they had not yet had a chance to bat, the game can’t end yet. Thus, it’s suspended and must be resumed at a later date.
Thank you for this explanation. I was wondering the same thing.
Thanks
Good for Sims holding the line. I didn’t realize it was sleet, not just rain. Ridiculous that the ump didn’t call it earlier.
Hoping we can wipe them out in the restart and then score enough to end it. Then on to the planned game.
Oh that error and 2 UE runs from the first inning …
The same ump that couldnt see the 3rd base side of the strikezone. Who was that guy? Send him back to JV ball.
The “strikeout” of Naquin was beyond ridiculous.
As soon as the game was tied 4-4 the umps should have stopped the game. That way no one has the advantage. Letting it go to the point that it’s a downpour and sleeting was rediculous. Disadvantage to the pitcher at that point because of the footing and the wet ball. There was no way a pitcher could keep his arm/hand dry and the ball had to be soaked. It’s so wet that Sims didnt even go to the rosin bag because he knew it wouldnt help. Just a poor game by the umps. Job of the umps is not to be noticed and show no favoritism towards anybody , but they put the Reds at a huge disadvantage there.
The game was a wash literally and we move on.I realize relievers enjoy and expect to be used in certain roles and if the situation arises it would be great to have the big three for the late innings with the game on the line every night.It hasn’t happened and it won’t much.Sims and Garrett have pitched very little and right now roles and matchups mean very little just as how and when to use Antone.Pitchers must pitch and your best must pitch to be ready.We can’t nor should Bell expect these guys who haven’t pitched to get it done.Again last night was a wash.Roles,matchups and the score means very little right now.Guys need to pitch.If any of them feel that they are the closer or the set up guy or the mop up guy or the long guy they need to get rid of that idea right now and just go out and get their work in and pitch.Its a different game right now due to the short season and Bell and the pitchers need to understand that.Maybe it will change but we can’t assume it will.
Short season was last year of course and the innings guys pitched.Can’t expect based on the few innings guys threw last year that they are ready to just flip the switch on this year and be who they used to be or want to be.
Stunning ineptitude by the umps… we’d all seen the forecast – one the rain starts – it’s a wrap for the evening. As soon as Antone gave up the HR, they should have suspended the game. Any hope of finishing 9 innings was gone, and the hope of getting a legit result to call the game early was gone – given that the home team was not abead. Just terrible. I was thinking to myself: how are we getting out of the inning in this circumstance? How are we even going to field a ball in play? File a protest – have it rejected – and continue to use MLB’s obvious bias against smaller-market teams to fuel you in the future.
Clearly AG isn’t performing well in the CL roll. Is it something he will adjust to, or is there more to it than that? Is he still hurt ?? Like the Hunter Green suggestion, but not sure you want to put that type of pressure on him at this pt? Perhaps DeLeon could b a good short term option in that roll; he is more than capable of KOs
Sparky pulled reds off the field in shea stadium game 3 of nl playoffs after a whiskey bottle was thrown at pete rose
I wish the Reds’ current manager would have gone out and voiced and opinion and played the “rest” of the game under protest.