Baltimore Orioles canceled due to civil unrest (updated: tonight’s game called off)

As you all know by now, last night’s Baltimore Orioles game against the ChiSox was canceled due to looting and rioting in Baltimore. At this time, it’s unclear whether or not tonight’s game will be played, or under what circumstances. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake (D) of Baltimore announced last night that starting this evening there would be a city-wide curfew from 10 PM – 5 AM for a period of one week. 7 PM Orioles games usually let out around 10 PM, so again it’s unclear what lies ahead.

Courtesy of Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

Commissioner Rob Manfred of MLB happened to be in town, and he indicated that the league was monitoring the situation and that he wouldn’t be unopposed to moving the remainder of the series and/or the Orioles’ homestand. For what it’s worth, the Washington Nationals are out of town through the end of the weekend, so I would presume that with the proximity between the two cities being so close that could be a possible alternate site.

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For the record, the ChiSox are due to play at home on Thursday so last night’s game can’t be made up then. What could happen is a doubleheader on Wednesday, however again everything is up in the air due to the mayor’s announcement of a curfew. For up to date information, follow my twitter feed: @DomenicVadala. My understanding is that the Orioles prefer to play day games at Camden Yards, however obviously a decision is going to have to be made very quickly this morning given the time frame.

Let me be frank; this is embarrassing. However I’m not sure that it necessarily should be. Many of the folks who are inciting these riots ARE NOT Baltimoreans or locals. Many of them have come from far and wide to cause this mass lawlessness. However it makes the city of Baltimore and the state of Maryland look bad. Speaking squarely for myself, I resent that.

To go a step further, while Nationals Park is a viable option, I’d hate to see the Orioles chased from their own city. So there’s no right or wrong answer to this, they just have to make a quick decision. As I’ve said previously, Baltimore is a resilient city. Make no mistake about the fact that order will be restored and things will return to normal. And eventually, baseball will be played again. That’s the Oriole Way.

Update (11:30 AM): The Orioles just announced that this evening’s game has been postponed as well. Plans for a makeup game will be announced at a later time.