The White Sox game against the Braves was delayed Thursday night at Rate Field as a line of storms moved toward the ballpark before first pitch. The team announced the delay with the game initially set for 6:40 p.m.
Anthony Kay was scheduled to start for Chicago against Martin Perez, and the matchup had been set before the weather forced everyone to wait. Kay entered with a 5-1 record and a 4.40 ERA, while Perez was 4-3 with a 3.02 ERA.
The delay arrived after Chicago had already taken the first two games of the three-game series, a stretch that put added weight on the finale even before the skies turned. The Braves came in with the best record in baseball, and the White Sox were in first place in the American League Central by a half-game over the idle Guardians, who had just been swept by the Yankees.
What the weather changed Thursday night was simple: the game no longer had a first pitch on schedule, and the length of the delay was not immediately known. For fans at Rate Field, and for two teams already carrying division and standings implications, the night became a waiting game before it ever became a baseball game.
