On Monday, Yankees players had uniforms, eye black on ready for Game 5 vs. Guardians

MLB's process in eventually postponing the game on Monday has drawn fury from both fans and members of the media. According to Ian O'Connor of the New York Post, MLB chief operations and strategy officer Chris Marinak said the initial plan was for the contest to begin at "around 8:45" p.m. ET after a weather delay.

"But then a second pocket of rain that had not been on the radar popped up," Marinak said, noting that the new rain pushed the realistic game-time start to closer to 10 p.m. ET. "We felt that was the time to call the game."

According to the New York Post, league spokesman Michael Teevan said that fans inside Yankee Stadium weren't given routine updates through the delay because MLB didn't want to give them "false information."

The Yankees will start 2022 first-time All-Star Nestor Cortes on three days' rest in Game 5, while the Guardians will go with fourth-year pro Aaron Civale. With a trip to the ALCS on the line, both teams are expected to have their entire bullpen and most of their starting pitchers available as well.

Civale has never pitched in the postseason, while Cortes' first playoff outing came in a Game 2 no-decision. The lefty went five innings and allowed two runs on six hits with three walks and three strikeouts in New York's eventual 10-inning 4-2 defeat.