While fans keep one eye on whether Brian Cashman will finally make a move ahead of the 6 p.m. ET trade deadline, the New York Yankees themselves are trying to play the final game of their four-game set against the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday afternoon. But Mother Nature is making that awfully difficult: The skies opened up before game time, but now, the game is officially in a delay.
Tarp is coming on the field. We are in a delay.
— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) July 31, 2025
The delay came in the middle of the bottom of the fifth inning. The Yankees were leading the game 7-4 and were hoping to break it open with runners on the corners with one out. What's really important to note is that this is an official game with the home team, the Yankees, leading in the bottom of the fifth. This means that if the game cannot be completed on Thursday, the game could be called.
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Rays-Yankees start time: When will the rain delay end?
The Yankees announced at the stadium that the game is set to resume at 5:20 p.m. ET to conclude the Thursday matinée, as several reporters noted from the Bronx.
Please be advised, we intend to resume play at approximately 5:20 pm.
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) July 31, 2025
Many Yankees fans were hoping that the game would ultimately be called after playing 4.5 innings with the home team in the lead considering they have to travel to Miami for a game on Friday. Instead, the two teams will head back to a rain-soaked field on the day of the trade deadline, but the Yankees won't have any of their bullpen reinforcements to help close out the game.
Weather forecast for Rays-Yankees: How long will the rain last?
Weather.com's hourly forecast calls for rain in the area for the next few hours. Thunderstorms are currently in the Bronx, and are expected to remain in the area until around 5:00 p.m. ET, meaning we're likely in for a delay of a couple of hours. While that's never fun, the rain is supposed to clear up for a while, not picking back up until around 10:00 p.m. ET. This gives the Yankees and Rays ample time to get the rest of Thursday's game in. Even if they go to extra innings again, they should get the game in before the next round of rain.
The Yankees made good use of the delay, acquiring David Bednar from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Whether the Rays make a deal during the delay remains to be seen.
If and when the game resumes, it's anyone's best guess as to who will be pitching. The Rays have already pressed Kevin Kelly into action thanks to Ryan Pepiot's struggles, and whether he can pitch after a long-ish delay is up in the air. As for the Yankees, they were probably going to hope to squeeze another inning out of Marcus Stroman, who had thrown 74 pitches through five innings, but the odds of them doing so diminish greatly due to the delay.