NEW YORK -- The Mets' rubber game with the Yankees will have to wait three weeks. With rain showers peppering the tri-state area on Sunday night, the teams postponed their series finale at Yankee Stadium. They plan to make it up Aug. 13 at 7:05 p.m. ET.
Sunday's scheduled Mets starter, Jacob deGrom, will instead pitch Monday against the Padres at Citi Field, allowing the Yankees to avoid the National League Cy Young Award candidate.
"Anytime we take the field, we feel like we have a really good chance no matter who's out there, especially at home," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "You don't like stacking up these doubleheaders and makeup games … but obviously tonight was a tough matchup."
The Mets did not announce the rest of their rotation beyond deGrom. Monday's originally scheduled starter, Zack Wheeler, could slide back to Tuesday. But the Mets also may not want to disrupt the schedule of Jason Vargas, who was due to come off the disabled list to start that night.
The rainout turns mid-August into perhaps the toughest stretch of the schedule for the Mets, who now must play 21 games over a 20-day span. After playing three in Miami, the Mets will return home for one at Yankee Stadium, then they hit the road to play two in Baltimore followed by four in Philadelphia and one in Williamsport, Pa., where they will take part in the Little League Classic. The next day, the stretch continues with the opener of a seven-game homestand, followed by a three-game set in Chicago, all without an off-day.
Fans holding paid tickets for Sunday's game may use them for the Aug. 13 game, or exchange their paid tickets for any regular-season game at Yankee Stadium in the next 12 months, subject to availability. For more information, consult the Yankee Stadium rainout policy.