Phillies Announce Start Time Change for Finale With Rays

The Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays are in a race against inclement weather.

Sep 26, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; From right to left Bryce Harper and Bryson Stott and Trea Turner and Alec Bohm look on during a pitching change during the fifth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Philadelphia Phillies are entering Game 162 with simple conditions: win and they are in the postseason.

Alas, that is easier said than done given the current form the team has been playing with. The Phillies offense has gone ice cold down the stretch, making what mathematically looked like a foregone conclusion of them making the postseason anything but certain.

And now, inclement weather is throwing another wrench into their plans. The Phillies are hosting the Tampa Bay Rays at Citizens Bank Park, but a nor’easter that is wreaking havoc on the East Coast is making an impact on the game.

To have the best opportunity to get the entire game in without interruption from weather, it has been announced that the first pitch has been moved up to 2:30 p.m. ET from 3:05 p.m. ET. All games in the MLB were scheduled to start around the same time so that teams still fighting for playoff positioning didn’t have an advantage over the other.

Phillies push up start time of finale against Rays

Sep 25, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm (28) watches a foul ball during the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

According to the team’s official account on X, they will continue monitoring the situation and provide updates as quickly as possible.

This is the second consecutive game that has been impacted by weather. The start of Game 2 on Saturday night was delayed because of rain, and there was a steady stream of precipitation and heavy winds throughout the contest.

As if things weren’t tough enough for Philadelphia on the field, they are now battling the elements. Their cold streak has coincided with the Arizona Diamondbacks getting red-hot, as their loss to the San Diego Padres last night snapped a six-game winning streak.

Today will be all hands on deck for the Phillies, who just need a win to clinch the final Wild Card spot in the National League. Unfortunately, they are going to have to burn Zack Wheeler to try and clinch that spot.

The start of today's game has been moved up from 3:05 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. due to the weather forecast for later this afternoon and evening. The earlier start is intended to provide the best opportunity to play today's game without interruption.

We will continue to monitor…

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) September 27, 2026

He is set to start the regular season finale to pitch his team into the postseason. This all but eliminates him from pitching in the NLWC, should Philadelphia qualify, because the series starts on Tuesday at Truist Park against the Atlanta Braves.

It will be interesting to see what the plans are for the starting rotation after Aaron Nola took the ball on two days' rest and threw one inning on Saturday. He was originally lined up to start Game 1 of the NLWC with Cristopher Sanchez throwing Game 2 and Andrew Painter set for Game 3.

Because they haven’t even clinched a playoff spot yet, their plans are up in the air. The focus right now is just on qualifying for the postseason, but the lineup needs to wake up for that to occur.

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