KANSAS CITY -- The Royals avoided potentially playing until 3:00 a.m. -- like they did in May 2013 -- as tonight's scheduled game against the Mariners was postponed by rain and rescheduled as part of a doubleheader on Sunday at Kaufmann Stadium.
Game 1 on Sunday will start at 1:15 p.m. CT. Game 2 will begin within 30 minutes of the completion of the opener. Fans holding tickets to Saturday's game must exchange them for Sunday's doubleheader or any remaining game on the 2017 regular season schedule. For more information, go to royals.com/weather.
Left-hander Danny Duffy, who was slated to start on Saturday, will get the ball for Game 1 against lefty Marco Gonzales, who will be making his Mariners debut. Rookie right-hander Jake Junis will likely start the nightcap against Erasmo Ramirez. Junis can be called up from Triple-A Omaha as the Royals' 26th man for Game 2. The club may also place catcher Salvador Perez (intercostal strain) on the 10-day disabled list and add catcher Cam Gallagher to the active roster.
"I'm trying to stay away from making roster moves right now," manager Ned Yost said.
The rest of the Royals' rotation will slide back a day, meaning Ian Kennedy, who was scheduled to start on Sunday, will now face the Cardinals on Monday.
The Royals wound up playing into the wee hours on May 31, 2013. That game, a 4-2 victory over the Cardinals, was the strangest rain delay that Yost said he ever experienced.
"You kept looking at the radar," Yost said. "We had taken the lead, but because St. Louis hadn't hit, if the game was going to be rained out, we were going to lose, and we were really struggling at that point.
"The grounds crew guy was really dragging his feet and trying to do everything he could to make sure we couldn't get back on the field. He told [umpire] Joe West, 'Look, it's not going to stop raining.' Well, Joe came in my office and said, 'I'm going to have to call this. It's not going to stop raining.'
"Joe didn't know I'm a phenomenal meteorologist. I got right on the computer and said, 'Look. That guy's lying. It's fixing to stop in five minutes.' Joe looked at that radar and went back out and said, 'We're staying here. I don't care how long.' Joe made them fix that field to the point where it was playable. Barely, but it was playable."
The umpiring crew had to be in Chicago for a matinee game the next day, and the Royals were scheduled to fly to Texas. The game ended at 3:14 a.m., but both groups made it to their next destinations.
"We're weren't taking that lead and just leaving it and taking a loss," Yost said. "Once Joe figured out the guy was trying to dupe him, Joe West was having none of that. ... It wasn't a fun day, but at least we won."