NEW YORK -- Major League Baseball rules are specific regarding the situation that occurred when Monday night's Rangers-Yankees game was delayed for three hours and 35 minutes for rain before Texas rallied for a 9-6 victory.
The Yankees led, 6-5, in the top of the ninth, when time was called. If the umpires had called the game at any point during the rain delay, then the Yankees would have won. It would not have been a suspended game.
The umpires were determined to give the Rangers a chance to finish the game.
"We take the integrity of the game very seriously," crew chief Paul Nauert said.
"I think our intention was to try to finish that game," Nauert said. "You've got to give both teams an equal, fair opportunity. We were going to wait as long as we could."
Major League Baseball Rule 7.02 (formerly 4.12) deals with the possibility of a suspended game. Among the factors that allow for a suspended game to be picked up later: "Weather, if a regulation game is called while an inning is in progress and before the inning is completed, and the visiting team has scored one or more runs to take the lead, and the home team has not retaken the lead."
That was not the case, and it was why the Rangers were upset the delay was called in the top of the ninth inning after a leadoff walk to Robinson Chirinos, with Shin-Soo Choo at the plate against Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman.
A suspended game to be picked up later was not an option.
The Rangers wanted a chance to finish. Ultimately they were given the chance at 2:15 a.m. Tuesday morning, and they scored four runs off reliever Kirby Yates to win the game.
"I don't know if that matters," Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. "What matters is they allowed this game to be completed. The umpires made their decision based on the conditions of the field. There was agitation on both sides, but I felt the umpires handled the entire situation in a professional manner."