So how come the Phillies postponed the home opener?

It was a beautiful day for baseball in Philadelphia, as it turned out. The temperature reached the low 80s, the air was buoyant, and, at least in the early innings Kyle Schwarber would have had the benefit of a wind blowing out toward the right-field bleachers.

So how come the Phillies’ home opener against the Cincinnati Reds was postponed Thursday?

The decision was made late Wednesday at a time when the National Weather Service was listing an 85% chance of showers during the game, and at least one computer model showed a lightning harvest.

EPAWA, the local private weather service that the Phillies retain, did suggest that a game-playing window might be open, said EPAWA meteorologist Bobby Martrich.

In the case of April showers, he said, it is mighty tough to nail down timing 24 hours in advance, but he saw an outside chance that the rain might even miss Citizens Bank Park completely.

The Phillies also consult with two national forecast services, and Major League Baseball, which had the ultimate responsibility to decree a postponement, retains its own weather services.

Had it not been the home opener, which involved so much planning and ceremony, chances are that an effort would have been made to play the game, said Howard Smith, the Phillies vice president for business affairs.

The decision likely was influenced by the fact that games in both Baltimore and New York had been rescheduled.

Officially, the postponement decision for the Phillies-Reds game would have been in the hands of Major League Baseball because home teams make those calls only for divisional games, and then only in the first half of the season. However, league officials were consulting with the Phillies on Wednesday before the decision was made.

The Phillies will have no fear of rain on Friday, but it will be 20 degrees cooler.