Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- A Monday night series opener between division rivals faces significant weather challenges in the Northeast.
- The game was delayed just over an hour before the scheduled first pitch with no new start time announced.
- With heavy rain and thunderstorms expected through midnight, the teams consider rescheduling options to avoid further disruptions.
We knew that the weather on Monday night would be nearly in much of the Northeast, with flood and thunderstorm warnings in effect up and down the I-95 corridor. It goes without saying that said forecast makes playing baseball pretty difficult, and sure enough, the series opener between the Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals has already been delayed ahead of a scheduled 6:45 p.m. ET start time in D.C.
What sort of weather does the rest of the evening have in store? What are the odds we actually get anything close to a full game in? We've got you covered with the updates from the nation's capital.
Phillies-Nationals rain delay updates: Still waiting on start time
Just after 5:30 p.m. ET — a little more than one hour before first pitch — the Nationals announced on social media that the game would start in a delay. The team didn't provide a new start time as everyone monitors the radar situation.
The start of today’s game has been delayed due to inclement weather. We are monitoring the situation and will provide an update as more information becomes available.
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) June 22, 2026
Please visit https://t.co/Milp0sfyfe or text “JUNE22” to 91347 for more information.
This almost certainly won't be the only delay — or even postponement — that we see across MLB on Monday, given just how much of the country is experiencing inclement weather. Right now, the only question is when the rain might subside and whether the Phillies and Nats would rather try and wait this out or bite the bullet and schedule a doubleheader for later in the week. These are division rivals, after all, and this is the beginning of a four-game set; there would be plenty of opportunity to move the game around, either within this series or during the next meeting between these two teams later in the summer.
Weather report from Nationals Park
In short: It's raining cats and dogs out there right now. The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch in the D.C. area, which will stay in effect until 9 p.m. ET tonight. The edge of a massive storm system started moving through the city at around 5:30 p.m. ET, and looking at the radar, it's going to take a while for things to clear.
Accuweather currently forecasts a 50-percent chance of rain or better through midnight ET, which obviously doesn't bode well for getting this game in. There's also a good chance of rain on Tuesday afternoon, though, which could complicate plans to play a day-night doubleheader. At this point, the two teams might move this game to Wednesday afternoon in an effort to stay dry and give everyone a chance to get their pitching staffs in order.
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