Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon had just reached the mound to begin his warmups when it started to rain and the umpires halted play. Papelbon entered the game to protect a 4-3 lead with two outs in the eighth after Hideki Okajima was chased following a two-out walk to Melky Cabrera and a single by Bobby Abreu.
Alex Rodriguez was scheduled to be the first hitter Papelbon faced.