Familiar rain postpones Smokies-Barons game, sets up doubleheader

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One night after the Smokies poured on the runs at Covenant Health Park, their May 6 game against the Birmingham Barons has been postponed for rain − something all too familiar to the Knoxville team.

The teams will now play two seven-inning games on Friday, May 8 to make up for the rainout. Fans with tickets to Wednesday's game can trade them in for tickets to Friday's doubleheader, according to the Smokies' rain policy.

The first game is scheduled for 5 p.m., with gates opening at 4:30 p.m. The second game will start roughly 40 minutes after the conclusion of the first.

Grab a bat and knock on wood that Wednesday's postponed game is not a sign of delays to come. Weather delays and cancellations were persistent throughout the Smokies' inaugural 2025 season at the new Old City stadium, where One Knoxville SC also struggled to schedule around Mother Nature.


The Smokies experienced five rainouts in 2025, three of which were sellout games, costing the club more than 20,000 in attendance and the revenue that comes with a packed stadium. Knoxville still managed a 5% increase in attendance at the new ballpark compared to the previous season in Kodak, where the stadium was slightly bigger.

May 6 marked the first postponed game at Covenant Health Park of the 2026 Smokies season.

The Smokies and Barons will try to shake off the delay in this consequential series between teams competing neck-and-neck for second place in the Southern League North's first-half standings.

The Knoxville Smokies returned home to Covenant Health Park on May 5 in dominant fashion, taking the first of six games against the Barons by a score of 10-4. The Smokies and Barons each entered the game with a 13-14 record.

Knoxville Smokies record in Southern League North​


The Smokies are now 14-14, sitting in second place in the Southern League North. The Chattanooga Lookouts lead the division, four games ahead of the Smokies.

First-half standings (as of 7 p.m. May 6):

  1. Chattanooga Lookouts (19-10)
  2. Knoxville Smokies (14-14)
  3. Rocket City Trash Pandas (14-15)
  4. Birmingham Barons (13-15)

Upcoming games, promotions at Covenant Health Park​


The Smokies have five games left in the home series, which wraps up Sunday, May 10. Here are the deals and promotions fans can look forward to all week long (all games at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted):

  • Thursday, May 7: Thirsty Thursday (half-price draft beer), Knox Vegas, College Night ($10 for college students with ID)
  • Friday, May 8 (doubleheader starts at 5 p.m.): Camo Replica Jersey (first 2,000 fans get free camo replica jersey), Chick-fil-A Friday (ticket-coupon combo)
  • Saturday, May 9: Big League Chew T-shirt Giveaway (first 1,000 fans get free shirt), Summer Firework Series
  • 2 p.m. Sunday, May 10: Clear Purse Giveaway (first 500 women get clear purse), Mother's Day

Knox News journalist Joanna Hayes contributed to this report.

Ryan Wilusz is the business growth and development editor for Knox News. Email: [email protected]; Cell: 865-317-5138; Instagram: @knoxscruff.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Familiar rain postpones Smokies-Barons game, sets up doubleheader

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