The Pittsburgh Pirates and the Cleveland Guardians began their second half later than every other MLB team as their game on Friday was postponed due to air quality in Cleveland. They were able to get the first game of a day-night doubleheader in, with Pittsburgh taking the opener by a final score of 7-1 behind five brilliant innings from Jared Jones and another Esmerlyn Valdez home run, but, of course, the second game of the doubleheader has officially been delayed due to rain.
Tonight's game will begin in a delay.#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/oqQr7325eS
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) July 18, 2026
This is not what anyone wanted to see, especially with an afternoon game scheduled for Sunday's series finale. It was, however, predictable, considering the rain that's been tormenting the Northeast on Saturday. It was only a matter of time before it moved its way west. Here's what we know about when this game might begin.
Pirates-Guardians start time: When will the game begin in Cleveland?
UPDATE: First pitch was set for approximately 7:50 p.m. ET, roughly 40 minutes after the initially scheduled first pitch, but then the tarp was placed back on the field. First pitch is now scheduled for 8:25 p.m. ET.
Not only is the game delayed, but a start time has not been released as of this writing, so it's truly anyone's best guess as to when this contest might get underway. Based on AccuWeather's hourly forecast, we might be in for a bit of a lengthy delay.
The game was originally set to start at 7:10 p.m. ET, but it was delayed a little less than an hour before that, and because thunderstorms are expected to remain in the area through the 8:00 p.m. ET hour, we could be looking at a delay that lasts for over an hour. Again, that's not what anybody wants.
Progressive Field forecast: How much more rain is expected?
Hour | Chance of precipitation |
|---|---|
7:00 p.m. | 66% |
8:00 p.m. | 51% |
9:00 p.m. | 47% |
10:00 p.m. | 40% |
11:00 p.m. | 34% |
The bad news is that this game is delayed, but the good news is that while it might be an hour-ish long delay, there's a clear window for this game to be played tonight. After the thunderstorms begin to clear the area at approximately 8:00 p.m. ET, the chance of rain dips greatly, falling to as low as 34 percent at 11:00 p.m. ET.
If, for whatever reason, this game cannot be played on Saturday, there's a good chance these teams will look to schedule another doubleheader for Sunday. Doubleheaders are less than ideal, but with the Pirates not scheduled to return to Cleveland again this season, the easiest way to ensure every game in this series is played is to knock them all out this weekend.
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