MLB’s Game 4 postponement left fans $80 poorer for parking alone, with no backup plan. That is exactly what frustrated fans faced on Friday as heavy rain forced the postponement of ALCS Game 4 between the Cleveland Guardians and Tampa Bay Rays. Despite forecasts, MLB hoped for a three-and-a-half-hour window to get the game underway. But the weather had other plans, leaving fans who had traveled to Progressive Field disappointed and out of pocket.

The postponement has pushed Game 4 to Saturday and Game 5 to Sunday. It also eliminated the scheduled off-day before the teams travel to Tropicana Field for the remaining games. For fans, it meant unexpected expenses and plans going down the drain. And with the postseason stakes getting higher, MLB’s weather gamble has left fans questioning whether the league got its call right.

“$80 parking. $30 nachos and a Coke. And here I am back in my car headed to the hotel. I can’t make it to Sunday’s game, so now I’m gonna miss a game. I promised my wife I’d be home by Sunday morning. I’ve got two flights booked for Sunday morning,” a fan said via 92.3 The Fan.

The Guardians were supposed to enter Game 4, leading the series 2-1. Hence, the fan interest was expected. And just as the Guardians’ manager Stephen Vogt praised the fans for thronging to the Stadium, Game 4 was no different. However, heavy showers and deteriorating field conditions at Progressive Field left MLB officials with no choice. They had to call off the Friday night game after waiting through an initial one-hour delay, hoping for a window of dry weather.

Outrageous costs in the stadium amenities made it worse. Parking was charged at around $80. The spike in rates is largely tied to a mix of private lot surge pricing and the city’s implementation of Downtown Special Events Zones. During major matchups, private lots near Carnegie Ave routinely spike to $80. Locations on East 9th St push to $70.

As a result, fans caught in high-stakes situations face non-refundable costs. These non-refundable parking costs have left families paying upwards of $150 just for travel logistics without seeing a single pitch. “We knew how many days ago that today was going to be a challenge. Numerous weather calls, numerous back-and-forths, and ultimately MLB decided we needed to wait it out,” Vogt said.

Yet MLB had handled the same weather forecast differently for Game 3, rescheduling 24 hours in advance.

Instead of forcing fans to commute, pay for parking, and sit through an inevitable late-night delay in Game 3, MLB made a definitive call the day before. On Wednesday, the league officially bumped Thursday’s Game 3 start time up by five hours. It was moved from a prime-time 6:00 p.m. ET slot to an afternoon 1:00 p.m. ET game.

By executing the time shift 24 hours in advance, traveling fans and families were given a window to completely rearrange their work calendars, commute schedules, and lodging plans rather than driving into a rainout trap.

MLB couldn’t follow the same in Game 4, leaving fans frustrated.