The Atlanta Braves and New York Mets began what might be the most important series of the 2024 MLB regular season Tuesday night, with Atlanta taking the first game of the three-game set (NYM 5, ATL 1). The series will not continue Wednesday and Thursday as scheduled, however. Those games have been postponed because of the approaching Hurricane Helene, MLB announced Wednesday afternoon. MLB plans to make up both games as part a doubleheader Monday, the day before the 2024 postseason begins.
Monday is the off-day between the end of the regular season and the Wild Card Series and the plan is to play the games only if they are needed to determine the postseason race, according to the New York Post. The Mets enter play Wednesday a half-game up on a wild-card spot and the Braves are a half-game behind the Arizona Diamondbacks for the No. 6 seed. Chances are Monday’s games will be necessary.
As Helene continues to strengthen, the Braves were reportedly more determined to protect their ticket sales for the well-drawing series “and did not want to forego the gates nor work through the logistics of moving personnel such as security, concessionaires, etc. to other dates or start times,” according to the New York Post. While the league could have overruled the home team, officials reportedly opted not to.
Heavy rain is in the Atlanta forecast for both Wednesday and Thursday as the storm approaches the Florida Gulf Coast. Here’s a look at the hourly forecast for Wednesday night and Thursday evening, per First Alert Weather.
The storm, which was officially upgraded to a hurricane Wednesday by the National Hurricane Center, is expected to make landfall in Florida on Thursday as a Category 4 hurricane with winds over 110 mph.
“Damaging and life-threatening hurricane-force winds, especially in gusts, will penetrate well inland over portions of northern Florida and southern Georgia late Thursday and Thursday night where hurricane warnings are in effect,” the National Hurricane Center said in a 5 p.m. update on Wednesday.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has already declared a state of emergency. Here’s the latest from CBS News, and below is the projected path of the storm.
MLB is in a scheduling crunch for this pivotal series as the regular season wraps up Sunday and the 12-team postseason gets started Tuesday, Oct. 1. The Mets are set to close out the regular season in Milwaukee with a three-game set against the Brewers, while the Braves will host the Royals from Friday through Sunday (weather permitting).
