dailyloe.com – A Major League Baseball game between the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals was delayed multiple times on Thursday due to weather and an umpire’s illness. The game at Comerica Park was first delayed over an hour at the start because of rain. A second rain delay occurred later in the game. The action was also paused for ten minutes when the plate umpire left the field.
The game was paused in the top of the seventh inning for an umpire delay. Plate umpire Andy Fletcher seemed to be battling an illness all day Thursday. He abruptly left the field with two on and nobody out. The umpiring crew halted the action to replace him.
Second-base umpire Cory Blaser went under the stands to change gear. He took over the plate umpire duties for the remainder of the game. This left three umpires working the rest of the contest. Fletcher had also left the field early in the game between innings.
His early exit caused a brief delay in the top of an inning. Fletcher returned to the game after that incident. A Tigers trainer gave him water after that half-inning. The Tigers led the Royals 6-2 after six innings.
Before the top of the seventh inning was over, the Royals rallied. They took an 8-6 lead during that inning. The big blow was a three-run home run by Salvador Perez. He hit it off Tigers pitcher Tyler Holton.
Just as Perez was crossing home plate, the grounds crew raced out. They needed to get the tarp back on the field. Another storm was fast approaching downtown Detroit. This led to a second rain delay.
The second rain delay lasted more than 30 minutes. The game had already been delayed over an hour at the start. The final sequence involved a Royals rally and immediate weather interruption. The game was part of the MLB schedule for April 16, 2026.[]
Source: The Detroit News
