Rain postpones Game 4 of ALCS to Thursday

10:21PM EDT October 17. 2012 - DETROIT -- The Detroit Tigers will have to wait at least one more day to wrap up the American League pennant.

Game 4 of the American League Championship Series between the Tigers and New York Yankees at Comerica Park on Wednesday night was postponed because of a forecast for inclement weather.

Detroit leads the best-of-seven-series 3-0 and was looking to complete a sweep.

Major League Baseball officials waited one hour and 10 minutes after the scheduled 8:07 p.m. ET starting time before calling the game, even though rain never actually fell. MLB said it postponed the game "in an effort to preserve the integrity of an uninterrupted nine-inning game."

The game was rescheduled for today at 4:07 p.m. ET with Max Scherzer pitching for Detroit against Yankees lefthander CC Sabathia.

"We all wanted to play," Scherzer said. "The forecast was rain but it never rained. They kept saying it was going to come but it never came. That's weather for you."

The Yankees, at least for a day, staved off elimination.

"We all got to the park and got our work in and that's the important thing," center fielder Curtis Granderson said. "It can't hurt to have an extra day to regroup, come back tomorrow and trying to start winning some ballgames."

Game 5, if necessary, was originally scheduled for today. Instead, it would be played Friday afternoon at Comerica Park at a time to be determined.

Friday was originally scheduled to be an off day.

The series is then scheduled to shift back to New York for Game 6 on Saturday.

The scheduled starters for Game 5 are Doug Fister for the Tigers and Andy Pettite for the Yankees. However, with the extra day off, the teams could counter with their Game 2 starters -- Anibal Sanchez for the Tigers and Hiroki Kuroda for the Yankees -- on a normal four days of rest.

Sanchez pitched seven shutout innings for the win in that game on Sunday while Kuroda struck out 11 in seven innings.

If the series would somehow get to a seventh game, Sabatahia would be unable to start for the Yankees. Because of the loss of the off day, Sabatahia would only have two days of rest before Game 7.

Meanwhile, Detroit ace Justin Verlander would remain lined up to pitch Game 7 or the normal four days of rest.

"We can't worry about what might happen in Game 7," Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano said. "Not in the position we're in."

Though the Tigers had to keep their celebratory champagne on ice for at least another day, they understood the decision to postpone the game.

"They didn't want to start the game, stop it, and after a third of the game, have a 1 ½-hour delay," catcher Alex Avila said. "That would screw things up."