Rain, thunderstorms could delay 2018 All-Star Game

With rain in the forecast for Washington D.C. this afternoon, there is a chance of a delay in the All-Star Game tonight.

Rain is likely in D.C. this afternoon, with a good chance of thunderstorms, from about 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.  Then there is a chance of rain 7 p.m. to midnight.  Hopefully the rain will taper off in time for the game!

Also, with high humidity in Washington D.C., balls will travel farther.  Humid air is less dense than dry air, so there is less drag on a ball flying through humid air.  A home run that sails 300 feet in dry air would go 315 feet in humid air.

The last time the All-Star game was played in Washington D.C. was in 1969 and that game was postponed until the next day due to heavy rain.

Play ball!  (Hopefully!)


    National League fans will be hoping Bryce Harper's bat has a couple more homers left in it for tonight's All-Star Game, after last night's Home Run Derby. Harper won that event in his home park in Washington, connecting on pitches from his father to beat Kyle Schwarber of the Chicago Cubs 19-18.

    The All-Star Game isn't usually a high-scoring affair. Not since 2007 have both teams scored more than three runs in the game. And that's a trend across baseball these days. Going into the All-Star break, there have been more strikeouts than hits in the majors. The overall batting average is .247, and it could dip to the lowest figure in nearly a half-century.

    American League manager A.J. Hinch of the Houston Astros is a big fan of the shift -- so you can expect infielders like Jose Altuve and Manny Machado to be moving around when Paul Goldschmidt, Matt Kemp and the other National League stars come to bat. Tonight's game comes amid a running debate about whether shifts are damaging the game, and whether baseball should adopt rule changes specifying where infielders must play.