At about 6:25 p.m. Monday night, less than an hour before the first pitch was supposed to have been thrown, Washington Nationals leadoff hitter Adam Eaton went for a walk on the infield at Citizens Bank Park.
Across the field, between first and second base, Nationals ace Max Scherzer made like he was going to run. And the first word that came to his mind to describe the playing surface beneath him was "spongy."
For hours, the Phillies' grounds crew had been taking the unusual measure of using blowtorches to dry a field that was left uncovered Friday night when the forecast called for considerably less rain than what actually fell.