Joaquin to douse Major League Baseball games on final weekend of play

As Joaquin parallels the Eastern Seaboard late this week and into the weekend, sports fans across the mid-Atlantic and Northeast should be on alert.

As Joaquin parallels the Eastern Seaboard late this week and into the weekend, sports fans across the mid-Atlantic and Northeast should be on alert.

Travel delays, widespread flooding and power outages are just a few of the many impacts that Joaquin could unleash this weekend, impacting play for MLB.

The final weekend of the Major League Baseball regular season could see many disruptions to game activity. Baseball fans looking to attend one of the last remaining home games in Philadelphia, New York City and Baltimore could be looking at cancellations, weather delays or alterations to the time of first pitch.

Already, the Philadelphia Phillies and Baltimore Orioles have adjusted the start times to their Thursday games due to inclement weather ahead of Joaquin.

This weekend, the Phillies host the Miami Marlins, the New York Yankees travel to Camden Yards to play the Orioles, the New York Mets welcome the Washington Nationals to Citi Field and the Pittsburgh Pirates battle the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park.

For college football fans, the wet weekend could spoil tailgating plans from the Carolinas to Pennsylvania. After flooding doused parts of the Southeast, mid-Atlantic and parts of the Northeast earlier in the week, grassy areas that turn into football parking lots are already saturated.

Penn State and No. 8 Georgia have closed some parking areas for Saturday’s games and have asked thousands of fans to make alternate plans.

ESPN’s College Gameday will broadcast from Clemson University as the No. 12 Tigers take on No. 6 Notre Dame. The rowdy fans packed together to watch the pregame show should prepare for heavy rain before and during the morning broadcast.

Originally slated for primetime, Maryland will take on No. 22 Michigan at noon in College Park on Saturday as preparations ramp up for Joaquin. The Big Ten Network previously postponed their on-location pregame shows citing weather concerns.

In Dover, Delaware, Joaquin threatens a major NASCAR race with elimination implications this weekend. Organizers are monitoring the hurricane and its impacts but will likely not make any decisions before activities start.

“Historically, changes that NASCAR makes to the on-track schedule are not made until the day of each event. We will update you quickly if changes must be made to the schedule as a result of the weather,” Dover International Raceway said on their website.

“If Joaquin ends up impacting that area, not only will they postpone the race, but also thousands of fans camping in grass fields will have an extremely difficult time leaving after the rain starts,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Brian Lada said.

Fans seeking shelter in campers could be in danger due to strong winds, he added.

About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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