NEW YORK (AP) — The series opener between the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets was postponed because of rain Monday night and rescheduled as part of a day-night doubleheader Wednesday at Citi Field.
It was the second consecutive rainout for the Cubs, who were also washed out back home at Wrigley Field on Sunday, when they were supposed to conclude a series against the Toronto Blue Jays. That game will be made up Aug. 6.
Kodai Senga (0-5, 9.00 ERA) had been slated to start Monday night for the Mets against Japanese countryman Shota Imanaga (4-6, 4.26) before the game was postponed about 30 minutes prior to the scheduled first pitch.
The teams will now begin their four-game series Tuesday night, with Senga set to face Cubs right-hander Edward Cabrera (4-4, 5.21).
Imanaga and Javier Assad (5-1, 3.89) will start Wednesday for Chicago. Nolan McLean (4-4, 3.67) and Sean Manaea (1-2, 4.64) will pitch for the Mets. The order for both teams was to be determined.
Chicago has won six of its past nine games.
New York was swept by the Cubs in Chicago during its 12-game losing streak in April. The Mets were outscored 21-5 over the final two games of a three-game series in Philadelphia last weekend.
New York shortstop Francisco Lindor (strained calf) was scheduled to play a simulated game on Monday before it was canceled because of rain. He will play a rehab game for Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday and the Mets will decide afterward if he will be activated from the injured list.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Fans linger after a baseball game between the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs is postponed due to weather, Monday, June 22, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
A sign announcing the postponement of a baseball game between the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs due to weather is shown on the field, Monday, June 22, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
A sign announcing the postponement of a baseball game between the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs due to weather is shown on the field, Monday, June 22, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Heavy rain and thunderstorms prompted a rare World Cup weather delay on Monday, when the halftime break during a match between France and Iraq lasted 2 hours, 10 minutes.
It was the first rain delay of the tournament and the first time in at least several decades that a World Cup match was delayed midgame because of inclement weather. Halftime began at 5:50 p.m. EDT and the game resumed at 8 p.m. — 1 hour, 55 minutes longer than the scheduled 15-minute halftime break.
There was also heavy rain ahead of Monday night’s game between Norway and Senegal in East Rutherford, New Jersey, which started on time.
With France leading 1-0 at halftime, scoreboard messages directed the crowd at Lincoln Financial Field to take shelter in the stadium’s covered areas, warning that a severe storm was on the way. Sheets of rain fell through halftime as thousands of fans huddled in the concourse and under balconies.
The stoppage was initially expected to extend the halftime break by 15 minutes. As the delay dragged on, stadium officials announced that “the game will resume when deemed safe.”
The teams returned to the field to warm up after about 1 hour, 40 minutes, prompting cheers from the crowd. Crews used squeegees to push standing water toward the sideline of the swampy field.
A rule used by FIFA pauses games for 30 minutes if lightning is detected within 8 miles. Each strike resets the clock.
France and Iraq played through a downpour that started in the 37th minute. Fans donned ponchos and most stayed in their seats until they were told to find shelter at halftime.
FIFA long had a reputation for continuing matches even through extreme weather. A 2014 game between the U.S. and Germany continued in Brazil even after torrential downpour that flooded parts of the surrounding city.
World Cup regulations do not specify weather conditions that would prompt a delay to the start of matches or an interruption. However, the regulations say “in the case of a match being abandoned as a result of force majeure after it has already kicked off … the match shall recommence at the minute at which play was interrupted rather than being replayed in full, and with the same scoreline.”
AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
A photographer shelters from the rain as play is suspended during the World Cup Group I soccer match between France and Iraq in Philadelphia, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
A sign advising fans of a weather delay is displayed during the World Cup Group I soccer match between France and Iraq in Philadelphia, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)
Fans take cover from the rain during a thunderstorm warning in the World Cup Group I soccer match between France and Iraq in Philadelphia, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Heavy rain falls during the World Cup Group I soccer match between France and Iraq in Philadelphia, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)
A sign advising fans of a weather delay is displayed during the World Cup Group I soccer match between France and Iraq in Philadelphia, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Fans wait in a sheltered area of the stadium as bad weather halts play during the World Cup Group I soccer match between France and Iraq in Philadelphia, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
A general view of the stadium during a storm delay in the World Cup Group I soccer match between France and Iraq in Philadelphia, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
