ST. LOUIS, Mo. — The start of Friday’s series opener between the White Sox and Cardinals will be delayed by inclement weather.
Originally scheduled for a 7:15 p.m. CT first pitch, the Cardinals grounds crew put the tarp on the field shortly after 6 p.m., and the skies opened up a few minutes later. While the tarp has long since been pulled, the Cardinals announced that the start of the game will be delayed until 8:25pm due to further forecasted storms that never materialized.
While the matchup between left-handers Anthony Kay and Matthew Liberatore will be delayed, the weather had minimal effect on a pregame ceremony honoring the 20th anniversary of the 2006 World Series-winning Cardinals team. Former White Sox manager Tony La Russa, who managed that Cardinals club, was among the honorees, alongside franchise legends Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina.
White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami is out of the starting lineup Friday night, as manager Will Venable is attempting to provide one last “rest” day for each positional regular before the close of the season. Miguel Vargas was the recipient of such a “day off” on Wednesday, but wound up pinch-hitting in the sixth and playing the rest of the game. Murakami’s night out of the lineup could easily follow the same template.