This column initially appeared in the July 2020 edition of Gaston Alive! Magazine.
It’s the top of the 5th inning and the score is 3-2 in favor of the home team. The beer is flowing, the peanuts are cracking, and the crowd is hanging on every pitch. But then you notice, just off in the distance, dark clouds starting to form.
The game that doesn’t believe in a time clock is now on the clock when it comes to Mother Nature. Are the clouds headed this way, or are they going to just pass by, and spare the game?
As is the case with most baseball leagues, a game is considered to be an official regulation game if 4½ innings have been completed and the home team is leading, or if five full innings have been played.
If it rains before this point, the game is postponed, only to be completed at another time. If it rains anytime after this point, it’s considered a finished game and the score is final.
The stakes are high at this point. Every pitch matters. In between the batters, everyone turns to their phones so they can check the radar to determine which direction the storm is moving.
These days, everyone has at least one weather app on their phone. In these moments, we are all meteorologists. Knowledge is power, and we have it in the palm of our hand.