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It’s not rare for a baseball game to get called off because the field is too wet to play on, but that tends to be the result of a fair amount of rain as opposed to a group of vindictive firefighters. However, they were the culprits that led to a contest getting canceled in Maryland over the summer, and two members of the fire department adjacent to the field where it was supposed to take place are now facing criminal charges.
You’re always taking a risk when you decide to park in the vicinity of a baseball field, and I think most people who played Little League growing up are familiar with the unmistakable “THUNK” that comes with a ball colliding with a car after making its way over the fence (as well as the even more unmistakable shattering sound when it makes contact with glass instead of metal).
Some first responders at a fire department in Silver Spring, Maryland apparently became a bit too accustomed to hearing that sound thanks to the station’s proximity to the baseball field at Montgomery Blair High School.
That diamond serves as the home venue for the Takoma-Silver Spring Thunderbolts of the Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate Baseball League, which has developed an icy relationship with its neighbors in left field due to the number of balls that have managed to clear the protective netting that only does so much to protect the vehicles parked at the station.
Those tensions officially boiled over during the most recent session of summer league play, and a couple of firefighters who were allegedly responsible for a deluge that forced the team to call off a game have landed in hot water as a result.
Two firefighters are facing criminal charges after a summer league team was forced to cancel a game after it was drenched in water in retaliation for a dented truck
The Thunderbolts had already been forced to call off a number of games due to inclement weather before they headed to the field that abuts Silver Spring Fire Station 16 on July 17th for a showdown with the Alexandria Aces.
All signs pointed to the weather cooperating that evening, but the same cannot be said for the firefighters who were filmed using a hose to spray a torrent of water onto the outfield grass and saturating it to the point where the Thunderbolts were forced to call off the contest due to the “pond” that formed.
Absolute clown show @mcfrs pic.twitter.com/JqjWmGunSo
— Zane Grimes (@GrimesZane8) July 18, 2025
An assistant coach for the team initially assumed the fire department was unaware of what was going on before being told it was very intentional when he headed to the station to bring the issue to their attention, saying the act was the result of a baseball striking one of the firefighter’s personal vehicles during batting practice.
According to WTOP, the Maryland National Capital Park Police (who oversee the field in question) conducted an investigation that led to them filing criminal charges against Captain Chris Reilly and Master Firefighter Alan Barnes, who have been formally accused of malicious destruction of property, conspiracy to commit malicious destruction of property, and disorderly conduct.
Investigators say they obtained surveillance video that showed Barnes backing up a fire truck to presumably hook up a hose to a hydrant before Reilly spent three minutes spraying the field, saying the act was “driven by frustration due to repeated incidents involving baseballs striking personal vehicles, the fire station, and departmental equipment.”
Both men have been placed on leave in conjunction with an internal investigation into the matter and are slated to appear in court on October 21st.