A Brooklyn lawmaker says Major League Baseball’s rain-delay rules are soaking fans’ wallets — so he’s called on MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred to fix it.
Councilman Justin Brannan fired off a letter to Manfred on Tuesday, urging him to implement a new policy requiring umpires to call games once rain delays stretch more than an hour beyond the scheduled first pitch so that “loyal fans” are no longer “lingering endlessly.”
“Currently, when MLB games are delayed due to inclement weather, fans in attendance are left waiting – sometimes for several hours without updates or options – to see if conditions will improve,” wrote Brannan, while describing himself to Manfred as a “long-suffering Mets fan.”
“A family with school-age kids attending a weekday evening game, for instance, may be forced to call it a night before the outcome of a rain delay is determined.
“When this happens, fans are put in the position of having to forfeit several hundred dollars or more after tickets, food, drinks and souvenirs — without ever seeing a single at-bat. I’m sure that’s not the experience you want them to have.”
Brannan told The Post he’s hopeful Manfred and MLB will work with him to address this “dark cloud” hovering over America’s Pastime, instead of continuing to push the problem off for a rainy day.
If not, he said his office is researching whether the City Council has legislative authority to require New York’s baseball teams — the Mets and Yankees — make its rain delay policies more fan friendly.
It wouldn’t be the first time the Council got involved in consumer issues at the city’s sports venues.
In 2017, Brooklyn Councilman Rafael Espinal Jr. introduced legislation requiring city ballparks to add more protective netting in the wake of a two-year-old girl being hit in the face and badly injured by a line drive at Yankee Stadium. Legislation has also led to a chewing tobacco ban at stadiums.
Breeana Mulligan, a spokeswoman for Council Speaker Corey Johnson, said he’s yet to review Brannan’s proposal but is “open to hearing creative solutions.”
A change in MLB’s rain-delay policy can’t come soon enough for most fans — especially in New York.
On March 31, a mere three games into this season, the Yankees finally began a Sunday afternoon home game against Baltimore Orioles following a 3-hour, 17-minute rain delay. The announced crowd at Yankee Stadium was 38,419, but only a few thousand fans actually hung around for the opening pitch. The rest were out whatever cash they shelled out for tickets and parking to watch the Bronx Bombers.
Things are hardly better at Citi Field in Queens.
For example, the Mets began an April 26 game against the Milwaukee Brewers at 10 pm following a 2 hour, 45-minute rain delay. The stadium was nearly empty by opening pitch, despite an announced crowd of 28,131. Although the Mets gave fans with tickets to that Friday night game some relief, it was modest at best.
These fans are allowed to trade in their stubs for alternate seats to cheaper, low-demand weekday games – and they must actually schlep back to the Citi Field ticket window to exchange the seats.
Brannan also asked Manfred to consider an alternative policy change where fans are given a choice whenever rain delays go very long: “stay and wait out the delay in hopes that the game will continue, or leave and receive a ‘rain check’ voucher for a future game.”
MLB declined comment, saying it needs to first review the letter.
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