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The Blue Jays-Natonals game was delayed at Citizens Bank Park. Here is the reason for the delay and the latest update on when play will bekgin. Getty
Thunderstorms rolling through Philadelphia pushed back the Toronto Blue Jays‘ game against the Phillies Friday, delaying first pitch at Citizens Bank Park past its scheduled 6:40 p.m. ET start.
The timing is not great for the Phillies. Philadelphia is fighting to hold its grip on second place in the National League East, while Toronto is well back in a lost season, and any lost innings tonight land differently depending on which dugout you’re standing in.
Reports from reporters at the ballpark confirmed the delay shortly before 6 p.m. ET, with no firm restart time attached as storms moved through the region. A National Weather Service severe thunderstorm watch covering Philadelphia ran until 9 p.m., raising the odds of a longer wait before the tarp comes off Citizens Bank Park.
What a Delay Means for Blue Jays, Phillies
A delay is not the same thing as a postponement. Under baseball’s rules, a delayed game stays on today’s calendar, with play resuming from the exact point of interruption once conditions clear, and tickets bought for tonight remain good no matter how long the tarp stays down, according to SeatGeek’s explainer on MLB rain-delay rules. A postponement wipes the game entirely and reschedules it, often as part of a doubleheader, with the decision resting first with the home club â the Phillies, in this case â before shifting to the umpiring crew once lineups are exchanged.
Philadelphia entered the night at 62-54, holding second place in the NL East, while Toronto sat at 54-62, well outside the playoff picture in the American League East. Bryce Harper has driven much of Philadelphia’s offense this season, and the Phillies’ lineup carries real postseason stakes into every game left on the schedule. Toronto, by contrast, is using the season’s stretch run largely to evaluate its roster, with Kazuma Okamoto’s power bat among the bright spots worth tracking.
How the Weather Affects Blue Jays, Phillies Starters
José Soriano was lined up to start for Toronto carrying a 9-6 record and 3.37 ERA, opposite Philadelphia’s Zack Wheeler, who entered at a dominant 10-2 with a 2.49 ERA. Wheeler in particular represents the kind of arm a contending team like the Phillies can’t afford to mismanage, and a long delay raises real questions about whether he takes the mound at full strength or gets pulled in favor of protecting his workload for later in August.
Any extended wait forces both managers into tougher bullpen calculus, since starters who cool down during a delay often can’t be fully re-stretched once play resumes. That dynamic matters even more for Philadelphia given its playoff push, while Toronto has more flexibility given its position in the standings. Both rosters are already managing notable injured-list absences, which only sharpens the stakes if tonight turns into a bullpen game for either club.
The broader forecast points to an unsettled night. Showers and thunderstorms remained likely into the evening, with some potentially severe and a heat index that pushed past 100 degrees earlier Friday, according to the National Weather Service’s Philadelphia forecast. Saturday brings more heat and humidity, with a high near 91 and additional storm chances arriving mainly between 3 and 5 p.m. Fans, players and both front offices are watching the same radar loop, waiting to see whether tonight’s game gets finished as scheduled or spills into a much later night at Citizens Bank Park.
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