So You Think You Know Baseball

When I was a kid, there was publication that came out called, "So you think you know baseball." by Harry Simmons. The writer would recreate a game between two teams in a major league ballpark, with actual players of the day from the 50s. He would then create a complicated play that brought up a question of the rules. So in the spirit of "So you think you know baseball", I am recreating a modern-day scenario. Let's see if you know the rules.

The game is at Wrigley Field, and the Cubs are playing the Cardinals in game seven of the National League championship series. The winner will go to the World Series, which the Cubs have not done since 1945 (when yours truly was in diapers and trying to utter his first word). It is the 9th inning, and the Cubs are clinging to a 5-4 lead with Venezuelan Carlos Zambrano on the mound. There are two outs with a runner,  Matt Holliday, on first. The batter is David Freese. On the first pitch, Freese lifts a lazy fly ball to short left field. Left fielder Alfonso Soriano settles under it then loses it in the sun. Instead of game over, there are now runners on second and third. Zambrano goes berserk, storms off the mound, walks to the dugout, slugs the bat boy, showers, and hops a taxi to the airport to catch a flight back to Venezuela to attend the funeral of Hugo Chavez.

Cubs manager Dale Sveum brings in Carlos Marmol as the crowd groans. The next batter is Rafael Furcal. The count goes to 3-0 as the crowd continues to groan. On the next pitch, Furcal hits an easy ground ball to short. However, the shortstop, Starlin Castro, has his back turned to the infield as he is talking to his fellow Dominican, Soriano, about the Robert Menendez scandal in their homeland. The ball rolls into left field where Soriano picks it up. One run has scored, and the runner on second is sprinting home. Soriano heaves the ball with all his might. It sails over the catcher's head, over the backstop and into the crowd where it is caught by a young fan named Steve Bartman. The score is now 6-5 Cardinals.

Just then, the heavens open up and Wrigley Field is inundated by a severe rainstorm that forces the umps to halt the game. The rain delay drags on and on into the night and into the wee hours of the morning. The forecast says no end is in sight. As day breaks the next day, it is still pouring cats, dogs and billy goats.

Question: What happens now?

a It's an official game. The umps call the game and the Cardinals win
b Since this is a deciding playoff game, the game is suspended until the rain stops and resumed, whenever that is.
c Since the 9th inning is not complete and the Cubs have not batted, the score reverts back to the end of the 8th inning and the Cubs win.

What do you think? Me, I am not sure. I guess I don't know baseball as well as I should. I am guessing, however, that the Cardinals win. They always do.