CLEVELAND (AP) — The wind tore through Progressive Field, the rain never stopped and the temperature made it feel more like mid-November than late May.
“It was the perfect storm for a baseball game,” said Toronto second baseman Joe Panik.
The Blue Jays weathered it.
Hyun Jin Ryu regained his control after a rough first inning battling strong winds and a wet baseball and Panik and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. drove in three runs apiece, leading the Blue Jays over the Cleveland Indians 11-2 Friday night in a game called in the bottom of the seventh.
For more than two hours, the teams, umpires and fans endured winds gusting to 45 mph and steady, blowing rain that made outdoor activities miserable.
“That was some of the worst conditions I think I’ve ever seen,” Indians manager Terry Francona said.
Major League Baseball was hit hard by bad weather to start the holiday weekend as games in Washington, New York, Pittsburgh and Chicago were rained out and one in Boston was delayed before being stopped after six innings.
This one probably should have never gotten started.
“I’ve played in worse probably in Canada,” said Indians outfielder Josh Naylor, who is from Mississauga, Ontario. “I mean it was bad, grass was wet, it wouldn’t stop raining, rain was circling in different ways. It’s baseball.”
Panik connected for a two-run homer in the third to make it 6-2 against Eli Morgan (0-1), who may remember his major league debut more for the lousy weather than anything else.
“I feel bad for him,” Francona said of the 25-year-old, who was recalled from Triple-A Columbus. “I don’t know how you evaluate that outing. I thought he was going to get blown off the mound. That was a really tough task.”
Panik had four hits and Santiago Espinal also had…
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