Rainout (sports)
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A rainout refers to a sporting event that is canceled or stopped in progress due to rain.
[edit] Baseball
Generally, Major League Baseball teams will continue play in light to moderate rain but will suspend play if it is raining heavily or if there is standing water on the field. Games can also be delayed or canceled for other forms of inclement weather, or if the field is found to be unfit for play, and for other unusual causes (such as the spring training game that was canceled due to a swarm of bees), but rain is by far the most common cause for cancellations or stoppages of play.
Before a baseball game commences, unless it is the second game of a doubleheader, the manager of the home team is in charge of deciding whether or not the game should be delayed or canceled due to rain or other inclement weather (see Rule 3.10 of baseball's Official Rules). Once the home team manager hands his lineup card to the umpire shortly before the game is to begin, the umpire-in-chief has sole discretion to decide if a game should be delayed or canceled (see Rule 3.10 and Rule 4.01 of the Official Rules). This also applies to the second game of a doubleheader. Umpires are required by rule to wait at least 30 minutes to see if conditions improve; this is referred to as a rain delay and is not counted as part of the length of the game listed in the box score. In practice, umpires are encouraged to see that games are played if at all possible, and will sometimes wait as long as three hours before declaring a rainout.
If a game is rained out before play begins, it is rescheduled for a later date. If a game is called after play begins but before 4 1/2 innings have been completed (if the home team is ahead) or five innings have been completed (if the visitors are ahead or the game is tied), the game is not an official game. The umpire declares "No Game", the game is played in its entirety at a later date, and statistics compiled during the game are not counted. Games that are stopped after they become official games count in the standings (unless the game is tied, in which case it is continued at a later date, usually the next day), and statistics compiled during the game are counted.
[edit] Motorsport
Some auto racing series do not compete in rain, especially series that race on paved oval tracks. The rain severely diminishes the traction between the slick tires and the racing surface. Other series, especially those that race on road courses such as Formula One, use special treaded rain tires while the racing surface is wet. Dirt track racing can be run in a light rain as the vehicles have treaded tires. Rallying can be held in rain or snow.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the IRL IndyCar Series do not compete on a wet or moist surfaces at oval tracks, and it does not start an event unless the surface is dry. If the surface become wet during a race, the event generally delayed until the sanctioning body determines if the "lost" (too wet to continue) track surface can be dried within a certain time frame. The race is considered complete if at least half of the scheduled number of laps plus one has been completed. If less laps are completed, the event is resumed on a later day. The IndyCar Series will use rain tires if they are at a road course. The Sprint Cup Series has experimented with rain tires, but does not currently use them.
