The first day of the post-Carlos Mendoza era went about as expected for the New York Mets, who dropped a heartbreaker to the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night, pushing them closer towards being clear trade deadline sellers, while the Phillies continue to roll. Mets fans were due for a bright spot on Saturday with Christian Scott's return from a short stint on the Injured List, only for the start of the game to be delayed due to rain. Because of course.
The start of today's game will be delayed.
— New York Mets (@Mets) June 27, 2026
This was pretty easy to predict, as rain had been in the area all day and was in the forecast for around first pitch, but that doesn't make the news easier to digest, especially since we're without an official start time. For those wondering when or even if this game might get underway, we have you covered.
Mets-Phillies start time: When will the game begin in New York?
UPDATE: First pitch of Saturday's game is officially set for 5:20 p.m. ET, per the Mets' official X account. They should be able to play without any further issues.
First pitch of this game was scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET, but a delay was announced at 3:25 p.m. ET, nearly an hour early. As mentioned above, we don't have an official start time, and when looking at the forecast, you can see why. Rain is in the area, and based on Accuweather's hourly forecast in Queens, it isn't expected to go away for a little while.
The good news is that it isn't expected to last all night. The forecast calls for rain until around 6:00 p.m. ET, when it'll be cloudy but with lessening chances of precipitation. This means that while we might have to wait a couple of hours or we might have to see them play through some light rain, this game should be played at some point on Saturday, which is certainly better than having no baseball at all.
Citi Field forecast: How much more rain is expected?
No forecast should be taken as gospel, but if Accuweather's hourly forecast is any indication, you can see a clear window for when these teams might be looking to get this game underway.
Hour | Chance of precipitation |
|---|---|
4:00 p.m. ET | 76% |
5:00 p.m. ET | 60% |
6:00 p.m. ET | 49% |
7:00 p.m. ET | 44% |
8:00 p.m. ET | 34% |
9:00 p.m. ET | 34% |
These percentages might seem high, but Queens consists of a lot more than just Citi Field. The chance of precipitation at Citi Field specifically is lower than these percentages might indicate, and that's good news for fans who want this game to be completed today.
They're bound to wait for rain to pass through the 4:00 p.m. ET hour and might even wait an additional hour after that, but I'd be surprised if this game started much later than 6:00 p.m. ET. While that'd be a long delay, again, late baseball is better than no baseball, and the game would still end at a reasonable hour.
In the absolute worst-case scenario, if this game has to be cancelled, making it up won't be an issue. These teams play on Sunday, and the Phillies are due to come back to Citi Field in September, so a doubleheader won't be tough to schedule. If they'd rather just get a game in on a different mutual off-day, these teams play close enough to make that happen, too.
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