The national anthem had been sung. A sold-out crowd was in its seats. The field was raked, chalked and ready for baseball.
More than three hours later, the first pitch was finally thrown.
What was scheduled as a 7:15 p.m. local start at Truist Park in Atlanta on Friday didn’t actually kick off until 10:21 p.m., with the Dodgers and Braves getting delayed by a thunderstorm that rolled in shortly after the game was supposed to begin.
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The three-plus hour delay could have been enough to force a cancellation, and trigger a doubleheader on Sunday.