First pitch for Marlins-Yankees game delayed 4 hours because of solar eclipse

April 4 (UPI) -- First pitch for a series opener between the Miami Marlins and New York Yankees was rescheduled after the Yankees "reconsidered the challenges of playing through Monday's solar eclipse," they announced Thursday.

The game was initially scheduled to start at 2:05 p.m. EDT at Yankee Stadium, but first pitch was pushed back to 6:05 p.m. in New York.

Views for totality for the solar eclipse, starting at about 2:27 p.m. EDT in the United States, are dependent on location. The event is expected to start at 2:10 p.m. in New York, with the sun most hidden at about 3:25 p.m., according to NASA.

Yankee Stadium gates will open to fans at 3 p.m. The first 15,000 guests will receive Yankees solar eclipse T-shirts.

No other MLB games are scheduled to start before 5:10 p.m. on Monday. The Yankees (6-1) will host the Toronto Blue Jays (3-4) at 1:05 p.m. Friday in New York. They will end that three-game series Sunday at Yankee Stadium,

The Marlins, who on Thursday became just the third team in MLB history to start a season with eight-consecutive losses, will face the St. Louis Cardinals (4-4) at 2:15 p.m. Saturday in St. Louis. They will end that series Sunday at Busch Stadium.