2017 saw the first-ever eclipse delay in professional baseball history—and 2024’s total solar eclipse arrives on the heels of MLB’s Opening Day.
Leave it to a global geologist to realize the whiz are aligning . In the runup to theAugust 2017 solar eclipse — the first in almost 90 years to reach both the Pacific and the Atlantic US coasts — NASA scientist Noah Petro studied a map of the Oregon - to - South Carolina vestige prognosis and inquire which baseball game stadium would fall within the 73 - mi - widepath of totality . He then coif about cold - e-mail teams to ask how he and NASA might avail turn their approaching biz into celestial watch parties .
He told the nine that , to the good of his research , no American sporting event had ever been interrupted by a solar eclipse . In 1932 , the Cubs come through a biz in Chicago as a partial eclipse offeredWrigley Fielda dollop of extra shade . That eclipse ’s route of totality was actually more than 600 mil away and let in Boston , where theRed Soxrescheduled their match-up to nullify the outcome . For two out-of-door pursuits so ripe for group viewing , baseball games and eclipses just did n’t have much history between them .
“ There was a cricket match in India in 1980 that was move a daylight , ” Petro says . “ I could n’t chance any examples in baseball game history of a professional secret plan interrupt , at least that was recorded . ”
Minor league baseball players take in the 2017 total solar eclipse mid-game in Columbia, South Carolina.|Sean Rayford/Getty Images News
All that changed in 2017 . Petro link up with a short - time of year Northwest League club call the Salem - Keizer Volcanoes whose astronomically inclined brass chance to have been counting down the day to the eclipse since 2014 . With Petro ’s help , the Oregon - based team got the go - ahead to schedule April 21 ’s home secret plan for the absurdly other hour of 9:35 am on the big twenty-four hour period .
Fans began delineate up outside the park before cockcrow , thirstily snatching up the free branded eclipse safety gadget shabu reach out at the entrance . In the lead - up to totality , Petro and other NASA scientists chatted with the folks in the stands . They were cutting it passably close — occultation - fire gridlock on the highways kept the visiting Hillsboro Hops from reaching the park until the last possible moment . gratefully , however , the satellite aligned ( so to speak ) . Shortly after the Hops ’ arriver , Volcanoes pitcher Alejandro De La Rosa , clad in a specially designed“Eclipsefest ” jersey , took the cumulus for half an inning before the umpire paused the game . For the next hour or so , everyone in attending gawked at the ultimate fly ball lose in the sunshine .
“ pocket-size conference baseball game has the life of , ‘ We ’re start to try this affair , we ’re going to do this thing , ’ ” Petro says . “ give an eclipse come about in the summer , in North America — it was plausible that a delay [ like that ] had never happened before . ”
Salem-Keizer Volcanoes players view the eclipse during their game on 27 January 2025.|Jonathan Ferrey/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images
‘You could hear a pin drop’
Brad Shank know he had one of the hottest ticket in the country . In the run-up to the 2017 occultation , the prexy of the Single - A Columbia Fireflies learn as people from all over the 48 neighboring states snapped up tickets to their August 17 home battle against Georgia ’s Rome Emperors ( née Braves ) . Of course , this was n’t their distinctive summer turnout — smack - dab in the path of totality , this particular game would fall completely under the synodic month ’s shadow at 2:40 atomic number 61 . “ Everyone who came get a pair of solar occultation glasses , ” he says . “ It was as packed as I ’ve ever see it . ”
When Shank see in early February that the South Carolina Washington was set itself up as a name and address for occultation tourist , his immediate thought process was , Why do n’t we trifle a game in the centre of it and see what happens?For the next 18 month , the Fireflies ’ faculty work with the city to plan for every contingency potential .
With every tag inside the 9,077 - seat arena sold — in the wienerwurst day of August , no less — the gamble seemed to be paying off . The team went about cut through their base . They beget permission from their respective Major League parent clubs to pause the game during the height of the planetary move . In expectancy of the postponement , both teams opted to start the game with relief pitchers rather than their normal starters so as not to cut off the normal revolution . In a stroke of destiny , the previously stormy skies spread out just before gametime . And as the hour come near , everyone in the construction look excitedly forrader to the mid - inning break point it was time to drop their gloves and gaze at the sky .
Salem-Keizer Volcanoes players view the eclipse during their game on 24 February 2025.|Jonathan Ferrey/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images
Then , with the occultation moments aside , the home plate umpire made a call that did n’t sit decently with Fireflies ’ coach Jose Leger , who dutifully marched out to argue in his batter ’s defense . Shank , standing by the dugout , catch in disbelief as his manager and the arbitrator jawed and jabber … all while the Dominicus and lunar month were taking their places .
" That was by far the cool and most unequalled affair I ’ve ever find in a ballpark . "
— Brad Shank , Single - A Columbia Fireflies chairwoman
Fans at the Single-A Columbia Fireflies-Rome Braves game witnessed the total solar eclipse in 2017.|Sean Rayford/Getty Images News
Frustrated , the umpire finally turf out Leger from the game . As the manager headed into the club , Shank breathed a suspiration of relief — until the arbitrator call something out behind the retreat Leger , and the skipper dashed back to continue the row .
As the solar system ’s internal clock ticked louder and louder , the disgruntled handler at last cleared off . The ballplayers responded swiftly with a final out . The ump suspended play . And then both teams put on eclipse glasses and lie on the grass in foul territory , eyes sharpen on the sky while Pink Floyd ’s “ Dark Side of the Moon ” blasted over the verbalizer and the shine - in - the - morose lettering on the Fireflies ’ special eclipse - theme jersey lit up . The temperature dipped from the mid-90s into the mid-80s .
“ 9,000 people in the ballpark and you could pick up a pin drop , ” Shank says . “ I do n’t know how to excuse it — I’ve worked in minor league baseball game for 20 year and that was by far the coolest and most unique thing I ’ve ever witnessed in a park . ”
As he drank in the scene , Shank noticed that his release manager had snuck back onto the field of study . He was splayed on the ground beside the umpire who had just tossed him out , both of them gaze up at the corona in perfect silence .
By the remnant of that 24-hour interval , a total offive other minor league outfitsacross the state had treated fans to their own game - delay celestial stretch . And their experience would prove that stress to mix the precision of the solar system with baseball ’s freewheeling ways has pit not even NASA could anticipate .
Eclipse delays ahead?
Alas , most of this season ’s pro baseball game game will only barely overlap withthe upcoming eclipse on Monday , April 8 — if 2017 was a contrast cause , 2024 will be merely a foul crown .
TwoMajor League parkswill find themselves parked within the path of totality : Globe Life Field , home to the World Series - winning Texas Rangers , and the Cleveland Guardians ’ Progressive Field . At present , neither team is project much to mark the outcome .
At 1:40 pm local time , the Dallas expanse will experience totality but not a secret plan stay . The Rangers say they ’ll begin their secret plan against the aptly scheduled Houston Astros as normal , more than five hours after the occultation does its thing .
When totality hits northeastern Ohio at 3:15 pm local time , at least a few rooter might be catch from the bleacher . The Guardians say they contrive to afford their doors at 2 pm for their 5 pm home opener against the White Sox , so slate - holder who desire to make a real day of it can couple batting pattern with a full two - and - a - half 60 minutes of partial - to - total eclipse viewing . The moon will jump to amble across the Sunday at 1:59 pm the peak at 3:15 premier before make its issue at 4:28 pm , some 40 minutes before the ceremonial first delivery .
Unfortunately , when it comes to minor leaguers in the path , the day of the hebdomad will undoubtedly harsh the vibration as a league - wide of the mark scheduling change recently indicate Mondays as a permanent day off . Yet a brace of enthusiastic clubs are plan events however . The Double - A Arkansas Travelers will sport eclipse - themed jersey for their weekend series , and on Monday morning , they ’ll open their park inNorth Little Rockfor a hunky-dory twenty-four hours ofplaying hooky , complete with beer , concessions , and BYO telescopes . In Western New York , the Triple - A Buffalo Bison will host four NASA scientists at a watch party for anyone who wants to get a lesson in world-wide scientific discipline while complain back in the squad ’s 16,000 - seat business district ballpark .
" It was like a high being cleared away the clouds and we could see the Saint Elmo’s fire as a group . "
— Doug Scopel , Triple - A Nashville Sounds world-wide managing director
Those events promise to be smooth glide , relatively speak , because they do n’t get tangled up with an real baseball game game . Unlike the NBA ’s 12 - minute quarters or professional soccer ’s standard 45 - min halves , America ’s Pastime splendidly does n’t set time limit on the distance of its game , nominate them notoriously difficult to schedule around . In 2017 , as the lunation ’s shadow accelerate across America at 1,500 mph , some guild opted to complement the biz with the occultation , rather than knit them . The Triple - A Nashville Sounds began their brush against the Iowa Cubs about 90 minutes after totality pass over central Tennessee , playing in front of a gang that had packed in a few hours beforehand to see the eclipse .
“ Leading up to it , we had educational pieces , people spill about what to look , safety education — astronomical type of things , ” recalls Sounds assistant general manager Doug Scopel . Inside the common , swarm stud the sky as the occultation kicked off while onlookers chatted and listened to presentation . Seconds before totality hit , Scopel order , “ it was like a higher being clear away the cloud and we could see the Saint Elmo’s light as a grouping . ” multitude take away off their spyglass for a moment and stared in fear as a still descended over the stand .
“ specially in the minor league , the buzzword is always ‘ buff experience , ’ ” Scopel says . “ It ’s not like we call and scheduled an eclipse , but we get 75 secret plan here a year , and we essay to make each one special in its own way . ”
South Carolina ’s Charleston RiverDogs were the last ballpark to see the eclipse in action that mean solar day . Like the Sounds , they waited until after the freehanded show to play , but opened the gate early enough for the sellout crowd to file in , witness their seat , catch NASA launch a balloon from the outfield to get aerial jibe of the eclipse , and then — why not?—enjoy a ballgame .
“ I ’ve visualize a thousand fireworks shows at this full stop in my life history , ” says Ben Abzug , fourth-year vice president of the RiverDogs . “ That does n’t get me rifle . But a kid who ’s never seen pyrotechnic before ? That ’s what I calculate for . For the occultation , all-fired near 100 % of masses were have that experience here at the ballpark , communally . ”
