PITTSBURGH, PA – SEPTEMBER 29: A general view of PNC Park during a rain delay in the sixth inning during the game between the Chicago Cubs and the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on September 29, 2016 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

Thursday night saw the first tie in Major League Baseball since 2005.

The Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates were able to make history thanks to a rain delay taking place in the sixth inning. That rain delay ultimately led to a one-hour plus rain delay and ultimately led to the umpires deciding to end the game in a tie.

Neither team had anything at stake, as the Cubs had already clinched the NL Central and the Pirates were out of the playoff race, and both teams had to travel for games Friday, with the Cubs heading to Cincinnati to play the Reds and the Pirates traveling to St. Louis to play the Cardinals, two teams that gave us another weird finish Thursday. This is the last time the Pirates and Cubs will play this season, so there was no easy option to make this up. Meanwhile, the Pirates initially tweeted ticketholders would be able to exchange tickets for another game next season, but then walked that back:

That’s disappointing for fans, but they did get to still see a rare event. The Pirates’ last tie came in 1998, and the last MLB tie came between the Reds and the Houston Astros in 2005, which was called at 2-2 in the seventh inning. With the easy ability to play make-up doubleheaders in the majority of MLB games, it’s unlikely we will see many ties like this again.

[Deadspin]

About Ryan Williamson

Ryan is a recent graduate of the University of Missouri and has recently returned to his Minnesota roots. He previously has worked for the Columbia Missourian, KFAN radio in Minneapolis and BringMeTheNews.com. Feel free to email me at rwilliamson29 AT Gmail dot com.