NEW YORK — The scheduled game between the unbeaten Detroit Tigers and winless New York Mets was postponed by rain Tuesday night.
The game will be made up at 1:10 p.m. on Thursday, originally an off day for both teams. Detroit plays its home opener Friday afternoon against Oakland. New York plays Friday night at Cincinnati.
Showers fell all day in New York City, and the tarp was never removed from the infield at Citi Field. With steady rain in the forecast Wednesday that could put that night’s game in jeopardy as well, the teams waited nearly two hours before Tuesday night’s game was called.
Detroit is 4-0 for its best start since opening with six wins in 2015. All four victories have come on the road, two in extra innings and the first three (against the Chicago White Sox) by one run.
Under new manager Carlos Mendoza, the Mets are 0-4 for the first time since losing their first five games in 2005. They also had a rookie manager that season: Willie Randolph.
Casey Mize was scheduled to start for the Tigers, poised to make his first major league appearance in nearly two years. Mize, the top pick in the 2018 amateur draft out of Auburn, has recovered from Tommy John surgery and a back operation. He hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since April 14, 2022, at Kansas City.
Finally healthy again, the right-hander was 3-1 with a 2.21 ERA and 20 strikeouts over 20 1/3 innings in six spring training games, including five starts.
Mize was 7-9 with a 3.71 ERA in 30 starts for Detroit as a rookie in 2021.
Right-hander Adrian Houser, acquired from Milwaukee in a December trade, was set to make his Mets debut.
New York was rained out for the second time already this season, after last week’s opener against Milwaukee was pushed back a day until Friday.