Happy 33rd birthday, Aaron Judge! The weather gods have given you and the New York Yankees an additional 24 hours to reevaluate things in the wake of Devin Williams' latest meltdown.
Williams entered Friday's game with a one-run lead in the ninth inning following Austin Wells' tiebreaking sacrifice fly. It had been six days since he'd last entered and blown an 8-4 lead in Tampa, and Aaron Boone decided to give him a shot at redemption - with what would very obviously become clear quite quickly was a short leash.
Williams faced the minimum three batters, allowing a single, hitting a batter, then watching the bases clear on a double. Boone pulled him after 12 pitches, and the Yankees' beat seemed unified in the aftermath: the Yankees' manager was noncommittal about future opportunities, for the time being, and the time is now right for Williams' reign to "end," at least temporarily.
That solution will need to wait for another day, as Judge's birthday is a total washout. The forecast must've been terrible, because the Yankees didn't keep their fans on tenterhooks or force open their customary pregame shopping window before calling it.
Saturday's game between the Yankees and Blue Jays was bagged at roughly 9:35 AM EST. The game will be moved to a doubleheader on Sunday.
Yankees Rainout: Aaron Judge's birthday game vs. Blue Jays canceled, full details below
Saturday's game will now become the second game on Sunday's slate, played as the back half of a single-admission doubleheader that begins at 1:35 PM EST. Fans who had tickets to Sunday's original game have been given a gift, as long as the Yankees play competently; they'll get to watch two nine-inning contests.
Ticket holders for Saturday's rained-out game are out of luck this weekend. They'll need to exchange the tickets they purchased for a "similar regular-season game at Yankee Stadium," subject to availability. That likely means they can exchange for an additional weekend game, considering the premium status of the initial cancellation. There will be a 27th man on Sunday's roster, in order to insure that enough healthy arms can cover two games. After his most recent outing in Scranton, Allan Winans is certainly a candidate.
Judge's birthday game being taken off the schedule means he'll officially turn 33 years old while batting over .400, clocking in at .408 after Friday night's loss.