The fact the Cleveland Indians played Friday night is absolutely ridiculous.
Wind warnings were in effect throughout Northeast Ohio all day and the rain never stopped.
But for some reason, the team took the field against the Toronto Blue Jays.
There is nothing wrong with playing some baseball in a little bit of rain.
This was not that.
And to top it off, rookie Eli Morgan had to make his MLB debut in those conditions.
Terry Francona on Eli Morgan: "I feel bad for him. I don't know how you evaluate that outing. I thought he was gonna get blown off the mound. That's a really tough task. … That was some of the worst conditions I think I've ever seen."
— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) May 29, 2021
He stood no chance of success.
The Rookie’s Short Night
Morgan lasted 2.2 innings, allowing six earned runs on eight hits.
It was easily the worst possible weather for an MLB debut and it is unfortunate his went this way.
The only positive is that things can only go up from here.
Morgan had a 3.95 ERA to start the year in Columbus and should be getting a few more opportunities at the big league level before a final decision is made.
He also has the benefit of the Indians only having two regular Opening Day starting pitchers who are healthy.
That puts him in the mix with Sam Hentges, Triston McKenzie, and potentially Jean Carlos Mejia.
Unfortunately, the bad weather didn’t make the game count any less in the standings.
So in the record books, his rough start won’t have a notation about the fact he pitched in sideways rain.
The hope is Morgan got some of those first-start jitters out of the way in bad weather and in front of a small crowd.
That should help him once attendance is at full capacity in June.
More Ridiculous Notes From Friday
Had the game proceeded, Jake Bauers would have pitched the 8th and René Rivera would have pitched the 9th.
— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) May 29, 2021
Morgan left early and manager Terry Francona had to force relievers to leave the comfort of the bullpen and fight through the rain.
His ultimate plan, if the game wasn’t mercifully called, was to have Jake Bauers and Rene Rivera pitch.
Such a plan brings up the idea of having a mercy rule if a team is just waving the white flag after seven innings.
Francona was not wrong to have that plan given the weather.
There is no need to have a reliever pitch down 11-2 and likely have a bad outing in the process.
However, it shows how much of a disaster the game was and calls into question if the team just wanted to make some extra concession money instead of calling the game.
It’s not like they couldn’t play a doubleheader over the weekend.
The Frustrating Reality
The Indians are in a tight American League Central race and every game is important.
Being forced to look back on this game at the end of the year would be incredibly frustrating.
But it is also fair to note the Blue Jays had no trouble scoring runs in the weather.
Now the series can get a proper start Saturday with some dry conditions.
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