Tonight definitely will not be the night Derek Jeter reaches 3,000 career hits. That is because the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays are not going to play. Friday’s scheduled games has been postponed by rain, and a makeup date has not yet been announced.
Jeter, of course, is sitting at 2,998 hits as he tries to become the 28th player in major league history to reach 3,000 hits.
According to the Star-Ledger, the Yankees voted to play a double-header on Saturday but the Rays have voted against that possibility. That would leave Jeter with just two games at Yankee Stadium prior to the All-Star break to reach 3,000 hits, rather than the anticipated three.
The Yankees would also like to get the game in for other reasons. They have already had several games rained out this season and are facing the reality of having to find ways to make them up as the season winds down. The Rays refusal to play a doubleheader this weekend would complicate the scheduling crunch even further.