SPORTS

Ticket brokers might benefit with Monday makeup game

Tony Paul
The Detroit News
Tigers manager Brad Ausmus inspects the field at Comerica Park with Indians manager Terry Francona and umpire Hunter Wendelstedt on Thursday.

Detroit — A few astute ticket brokers could be in line to make a pretty penny off the Indians-Tigers rainout Thursday afternoon.

With rain overnight Wednesday and well into Thursday, it was evident the series finale had a very good chance of getting washed out — and it eventually was, setting up Monday's if-necessary makeup game to be a hot ticket if the Tigers have a chance to clinch the second wild card.

“I have 175 tickets left for (Thursday’s) game so I’m pretty well set,” said Dan Racey, president of Row2Tickets Inc., which is based in Hudsonville, Mich. “I may buy a few at 12:45ish as a few brokers get desperate and will sell at $1.”

Some lower-box seats on StubHub were going for as low as $6 early Thursday.

If Monday’s game is necessary, those tickets could be worth substantially more.

It’s not an uncommon practice of brokers to gamble on the weather. They usually scoop up tickets between prime-time opponents in April and May to try and sell them for a profit.

There are risks, though, Racey said.

Rainout could set up wild travel scenario for Tigers

If the game is played, a broker is out the money. Given the Indians and Tigers could have waited all day and night to try and play the game, that was at least a possibility.

Then there’s this: If the game proves meaningless in the Indians pursuit of a better playoff seed and the Tigers get eliminated or clinch Sunday, Monday’s game won’t be played.

Racey also pointed out Monday’s game could start with the Tigers a half-game down, meaning they would need to win to tie for the second wild card.

“So no celebration if they win,” he said. “And game isn’t that big.”

Too early to analyze Castellanos

It’s too early for Tigers manager Brad Ausmus to break down what he’s seen from recently activated Nick Castellanos.

Castellanos has had three plate appearances since missing nearly two months with a broken hand — he doubled his first at-bat Tuesday and walked Wednesday.

“How’s he doing?” Ausmus said. “He’s stuck in traffic. He called me about a half-hour ago. He didn’t mention that it bothered him holding onto the steering wheel.”

Wojo: Tigers' season of limbo continues

Around the horn

The 4-hour, 13-minute rain delay hardly was the longest in baseball history, but it got more than halfway there.

In August 1990, the White Sox and Rangers waited 7 hours and 23 minutes before being postponed.

... The Indians weren’t planning on going with all their stars Thursday — Jason Kipnis and Carlos Santana weren’t in the lineup.

... During the delay, Tigers officials aired some of Jose Fernandez’s funeral service on the videoboard.