Best Rain Delay Moments in Baseball History

Key Insights:

• College baseball has produced the greatest rain delay entertainment in history, with the 2012 Ole Miss and Southern Miss tarp Olympics setting a standard that nobody has come close to matching
• The 2016 World Series Game 7 rain delay is the most consequential in baseball history, coming with the game tied in the tenth inning and 108 years of Cubs futility on the line
• The longest rain delay in MLB history lasted 7 hours and 23 minutes, which is longer than most people's entire workday and longer than the actual game would have taken to finish

Legendary Tarp Olympics and College Baseball Losing Its Mind

College baseball discovered at some point that a rain delay is basically a free improv show and ran with it harder than anyone had any right to expect. Here are the moments that proved the tarp is just a slip-and-slide waiting to happen:

1. Ole Miss vs. Southern Miss, 2012 — The gold standard of rain delay entertainment. Ole Miss turned the tarp into a human bowling alley with eight somersaults knocking down ten teammates. Southern Miss answered with a human roller coaster. Both teams then collaborated on a Baywatch parody where lifeguards sprinted down the stands to rescue fake-drowning players. It ended in a full dance-off. Nobody involved seemed even slightly embarrassed and that is exactly what made it perfect.
2. Clemson vs. Davidson, 2011 — Both dugouts staged full skits on the tarp including sumo wrestling and fake boxing matches. The clip still shows up in funniest rain delay compilations every single year because the commitment level from both sides was genuinely impressive.
3. General college tarp chaos — Slip-and-slides, human bowling, fake football games, and full choreographed dances have all become standard college rain delay content. YouTube compilations of these moments regularly rack up millions of views from people who do not watch a single inning of actual college baseball all year.

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MLB Players Acting Exactly Like You Would

Professional baseball players make millions of dollars and spend rain delays doing the same things a group of twelve-year-olds would do if left unsupervised near a wet tarp. This is a compliment:

1. Texas Rangers tarp slide, Camden Yards, 2012 — Josh Hamilton led his teammates in full-uniform slides across the soaked tarp during a delay against the Orioles. The fact that Hamilton was one of the best players in baseball at the time made it better rather than worse. MLB put it in their official highlight reel and nobody argued with the decision.
2. Team swimming and mock jousting — Multiple MLB rain delay clips feature players pretending to swim across the tarp, using bats as jousting lances, and turning dugout steps into waterslides. These are adults with professional contracts making competitive salaries and they are jousting with baseball bats on a wet tarp. The sport is great.
3. Grounds crew wipeouts — Countless official MLB rain delay videos include crew members getting swallowed by half-rolled tarps or sliding headfirst across the infield at full speed. Nobody plans these moments. That is what makes them the most reliable content in baseball.

Historic and Extreme Weather Delays

Sometimes rain delays are not fun. Sometimes they are seven hours long in Chicago or they arrive during the most dramatic game in baseball history at the worst possible moment:

1. White Sox vs. Rangers, August 12, 1990 — The longest rain delay in MLB history at 7 hours and 23 minutes. About 1.5 inches of rain fell on Comiskey Park, the game was eventually suspended, and resumed later in Texas. Seven hours and twenty-three minutes. Most people do not spend that long at work. Everyone who stayed deserved a trophy.
2. 2016 World Series Game 7, Cubs vs. Indians — Tied 6-6 in the tenth inning with 108 years of Cubs history on the line, a 17-minute rain delay arrived right in the middle of everything. When play resumed, Chicago scored two runs and won the World Series. The delay reportedly gave the Cubs time to regroup in the clubhouse. Whether the rain saved them or they would have won anyway is a conversation that Cleveland fans have strong opinions about.
3. Early World Series weather delays — The Hall of Fame documents weather interruptions affecting the Fall Classic going back over a century, including a two-day pause between Games 3 and 4 in 1905. Rain delays have been inconveniencing October baseball for longer than most current fans have been alive.

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Oddities, Mishaps, and Clips That Live Forever Online

The internet has turned rain delay content into its own genre. These are the moments that required no actual baseball and still ended up being more entertaining than the games around them:

1. Yankees tarp deployment going viral — A recent Yankees rain delay became one of the most-watched baseball videos on MLB Europe's social channels despite no pitch being thrown. Fans described the tarp deployment and cleanup as one of the greatest baseball highlights of all time. A grounds crew doing their job efficiently became appointment viewing. Baseball is a strange and wonderful sport.
2. Animals on the field — Cats, squirrels, and birds wandering onto the field during rain delays have generated some of baseball's most beloved viral moments. Several have received honorary social media accounts. A cat running across the infield during a delay has genuinely gotten more coverage than some playoff series.
3. Fan dance parties and poncho chaos — Minor league rain delays in particular have produced full sections of poncho-clad fans doing impromptu dance parties while the grounds crew works. These clips consistently outperform actual game highlights on social media and nobody in baseball's marketing department seems confused about why.

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Rain delays are baseball admitting that sometimes the weather wins and everyone just has to figure out what to do next. The players, the grounds crew, and the fans have all found very different answers to that problem and somehow all of them have been more entertaining than expected. Next time there is a delay, stay in your seat. Something is about to happen on that tarp.

FAQ

What is the longest rain delay in MLB history?

The White Sox and Rangers played through a 7-hour and 23-minute delay on August 12, 1990 at Comiskey Park. The game was eventually suspended and completed later in Texas.

Did the rain delay affect the 2016 World Series outcome?

The 17-minute delay in Game 7 came with the game tied in the tenth inning. The Cubs scored two runs after play resumed and won the championship. Whether the delay helped Chicago regroup is debated but the timing was significant enough that it became part of the story.

What is the best rain delay moment in baseball history?

The 2012 Ole Miss and Southern Miss tarp Olympics gets the top spot without much debate. A human bowling alley, a roller coaster, a Baywatch parody, and a full dance-off in one rain delay is a standard that has not been approached since.

Do rain delays happen in the postseason?

Yes. Weather delays can and do happen in playoff games and the World Series. The 2016 Game 7 delay is the most famous example because of the stakes involved and the timing within the game.

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