ALCS Game 4 postponed by rain; Rays
and Guardians to resume series Saturday
[October 17, 2026]
CLEVELAND (AP) — Game 4 of the American League Championship
Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians was
postponed because of rain Friday night.
Major League Baseball was hoping there would be a three-hour window
of dry weather to get the game in, but the showers never let up.
“It never cleared out the way they were hoping. It started to get
later in the hour, and MLB and I think both clubs did everything
they could to try to get it in,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “Made
the most sense, like, at this point and this hour, with no guarantee
that there wasn’t another band coming.”
The teams will resume their playoff series Saturday at 8 p.m. ET,
with Game 5 also at Progressive Field on Sunday at 5 p.m., and Game
6, if necessary, on Monday at 8 p.m. in St. Petersburg, Florida.
“We knew how many days ago that today was going to be a challenge.
Numerous weather calls, numerous back and forths, and ultimately MLB
decided we needed to wait it out,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt
said. “Obviously it’s an important game, and we need to make sure
we’re doing everything we can to play the games when they’re
scheduled. But MLB ultimately decided to wait this one out.”
It is the first time an ALCS game has been postponed since 2019,
when the New York Yankees were hosting the Houston Astros.
The Guardians have a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series after
Petey Halpin’s two-run homer propelled them to a 3-2 victory in Game
3 on Thursday afternoon.
Both teams will stick with their scheduled Game 4 starters from
Friday. Cleveland will go with a bullpen game, with Shawn Armstrong
being the opener. Nick Martinez will pitch for Tampa Bay.
It will be Armstrong’s fifth appearance this postseason. The
right-hander has allowed only one hit in 5 1/3 innings with five
strikeouts.
Armstrong thought his season was done in late July when he strained
a calf muscle, but he returned during the final week of the regular
season.
Armstrong was drafted by Cleveland in the 18th round in 2011 and
made his big league debut four years later. He was traded to Seattle
in 2017 and spent time with four other organizations, including
Tampa Bay, before signing with the Guardians this season.
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The field is covered before Game 4 of an American League
Championship Series baseball game between the Cleveland Guardians
and the Tampa Bay Rays in Cleveland, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP
Photo/David J. Phillip)
“I think I said it to (Erik) Sabrowski, whenever we
were standing in the outfield in Game 2 in Tampa — obviously I
played here, I got drafted here, coming back here and being able to
be in this situation is — words can’t describe it,” Armstrong said
before Game 3 on Thursday.
Martinez started Game 3 of the Division Series against the New York
Yankees. He went 3 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on five hits with
a walk and three strikeouts. The right-hander was 15-6 during the
regular season and ranked sixth in the AL with a 3.10 ERA. He was
third in the AL with 26 starts in which he allowed three runs or
fewer.
“It’s just like my starts throughout the year; it’s going to be a
dogfight going in, just to see how many outs I can get for this
team. It’s important,” he said Thursday.
The teams might have to play the final four games of the series
without a day off, culminating in a potential Game 7 on Tuesday.
That could be welcome news for the Milwaukee Brewers, who have a
week off before they open the World Series at home on Oct. 23
against the Cleveland-Tampa Bay winner.
Milwaukee is in the Fall Classic for the first time since 1982 after
completing a four-game sweep of the two-time defending World Series
champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Championship Series on
Thursday night.
“We’ve got four games in a row. We have an opportunity to win some
games and move on. And that’s all we’re focused on,” Vogt said.
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