Baltimore, May 13, 2026, 13:08 EDT
- Bad weather in the forecast forced the Orioles and Yankees to bump up their first pitch at Camden Yards to 1:05 p.m. EDT, instead of the originally scheduled 6:35 p.m.; gates opened at noon.
- Rain risk picks up in Baltimore later Wednesday, as the National Weather Service calls for showers after 4 p.m., then thunderstorms overnight.
- This one will settle the series between AL East rivals—New York comes in at 27-16, Baltimore at 19-24.
The Baltimore Orioles, along with Major League Baseball, shifted Wednesday’s home matchup against the New York Yankees from its usual evening slot at Camden Yards to a 1:05 p.m. EDT start, bumping the game ahead by more than five hours. The decision comes as forecasts pointed to storms threatening the city later this day. According to an MLB.com notice, tickets issued for the original 6:35 p.m. slot will still be accepted.
It’s all about the clock. Baltimore looked set for a dry start, but the National Weather Service put showers on the radar after 4 p.m.—then more rain and storms rolling in before 2 a.m. Thursday. Rain odds? Ninety percent tonight.
Alena Lee, meteorologist at WBAL-TV, noted that the Orioles could expect “mainly dry for at least a few hours,” but warned that showers might develop toward the end of the game, with a cold front moving across central Maryland. Lightning, according to WBAL, likely won’t become a factor until after the final pitch. WBAL
This isn’t just another game. The Yankees, sitting second in the AL East at 27-16, face the Orioles, who are third at 19-24, to wrap up a three-game set. Tampa Bay leads the division. According to ESPN, New York held a 5-1 advantage in the season series going into Wednesday.
Max Fried was set to take the mound for New York opposite Kyle Bradish. Fried brought a 4-2 record and a 2.91 ERA into the game. Bradish, meanwhile, entered at 1-5 with a 4.83 ERA. ERA (earned-run average) calculates how many earned runs a pitcher allows over nine innings.
According to an SB Nation preview via Yahoo, Fried enters after giving up five earned runs across six innings to Milwaukee. Bradish, meanwhile, has a 3.92 ERA from eight starts facing the Yankees, but Baltimore still has to watch his walk rate, which the piece noted remains an issue.
This isn’t just a calendar shift for fans. According to MLB.com, ticket holders who can still make it don’t need to do anything. Those who can’t attend the earlier game should check Orioles.com/Weather for next steps.
The club has postponed Japanese Heritage Night, with a new date yet to be set. Buyers of the special ticket package will get their money back, plus first dibs on tickets once the event is rescheduled, according to an MLB.com update.
Still, the weather forecast holds uncertainty. A sluggish pace, bonus innings, or rain arriving ahead of schedule could trigger exactly the sort of holdup both teams hoped to dodge. The National Weather Service is also projecting south winds around 15 mph, gusting up to 26 mph in the afternoon.
The Orioles’ move comes down to a simple calculation: accept smaller nighttime crowds in exchange for a higher likelihood of wrapping up the series finale ahead of the worst of the evening rain. For both New York and Baltimore, the standings story doesn’t require much decoding. One team has Tampa Bay in its sights, trying to keep up. The other is watching the gap and hoping May doesn’t drag a tough stretch into something bigger.
