There will be attempts to grasp meaning because we are humans and we want answers. Not doubt. Not more questions. Not a shrug when trying to explain who it is good for or bad for that a baseball game was rained out Monday night under bizarre circumstances. 

If people screaming at each other on TV and making millions to do so has taught us nothing else, it is that it is better in this moment in time to be loud, definitive, lacking in information and without any qualms about being wrong. 

But these playoffs should be proof of the randomness and unpredictability of — let’s laser focus on one period and one sport — October baseball. We are now in the midst of every hot take available to fix the playoff system because the 100-plus win Mets, Braves and Dodgers lasted a total of three wins — combined — this month. 

So what does it mean that Nestor Cortes will now go on short rest Tuesday in a rescheduled Game 5 while Cleveland manager Terry Francona had intimated to reporters well before the rainout that he would stick with No. 4 starter Aaron Civale rather than ace Shane Bieber if there were a rainout? It means, well, who knows what it means? 

The Yankees were 167-0 in postseason history when leading by multiple runs going into the last inning of Division Series Game 3 and Cleveland was 0-43. By the end of the ninth inning Saturday, the new records were 167-1 and 1-43. If that isn’t certain … 

So who knows what it means that the off-day between the Division Series and the ALCS will evaporate and, thus, whoever survives between Cleveland and New York late Tuesday afternoon will have to fly to Houston to play the well-rested Astros at home on Wednesday night? The Astros played the equivalent of two games Saturday by beating the Mariners 1-0 in 18 innings to sweep that series. 

That gives them three off-days to rest and set up their starters and bullpen just so. Great. Except that was supposed to be the edge provided to the top two seeds in each league. Those four teams got first-round byes and five days off and only the Astros have so far survived the rust over rest. The Dodgers and Braves were eliminated. The Yankees are playing a jump-ball game now Tuesday. 

“I’ve been in this game a long time now and I know wishing on which opponent you would rather play or maybe if this domino falls, this would benefit you more or maybe benefit you less; it feels like the baseball gods never let it play out that way,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. “It’s just whatever is going to be is going to be. Ultimately, at the end of the day, the final official call [on whether to rain out the game] sits with Major League Baseball and so there’s no strategy involved of playing versus not playing. It’s out of both teams’ hands for that. And so I haven’t thought through whether it’s gonna benefit one versus the other. Whatever it’s gonna be, it’s gonna be.” 

The rain delay lasted about 2 ¹/₂ hours. There was belief on both sides that the game would start late, but would be played. But weather, like life, is unpredictable. A back-end wave of more rain came. MLB decided the start time would be too late. So the game was called and if you want to play who is helped or hurt more by the sitting around Monday after playing in and then flying from Cleveland on Sunday night, go for it. Or flip a coin. 

Would the Yankees have loved to get in Game 4 on Monday with Jameson Taillon starting and never having to use Cortes for a piece of relief? Yep. That would have allowed Cortes to start the ALCS opener on full rest followed by Luis Severino with Gerrit Cole lined up for Game 3. That was the ideal scenario. But this is not the month for ideal scenarios. 

It never has been. And it is more so in 2022. With an extra playoff round. With more awkward off-days than historically used. Now, throw in two rainouts in this Cleveland-New York series and you have chaos theory on steroids. You have the disappointing regular seasons of the Phillies and Padres morphing into a joyous NLCS — at least in Philadelphia and San Diego. 

So maybe if the Yankees can take a Game 5 that now starts at 4:07 p.m. Tuesday, they can jet off to Houston with enough “no one believes in us vibes” to thwart their growing inferiority complex against the Astros. Or not. As Cashman said in trying to sum it all up, “I would generally think that no one’s going to feel anything other than joy [if they advance regardless of the obstacles]. … It’s a difficult road going through this thing and navigate and you’re never going to be at full strength or 100 percent or lined up the way you want it. But that’s the way most seasons are meant to be, right? And you still have to find a way through it. And so, ultimately, you know, whoever has the chance to win is going to not necessarily worry about anything other than the fact that they’re going to be happy getting to the next round.” 

In all the uncertainty, that feels like a prediction to believe in — whoever wins this tumultuous series Tuesday — regardless of all other implications — will be euphoric.