Rain delay costs Minnesota Twins ace pitcher Phil Hughes $500k

By RYAN GORMAN

A rain delay likely cost a Major League pitcher $500,000.

Minnesota Twins ace Phil Hughes was one out shy of triggering the extra pay out when a downpour delayed the game for 66 minutes. Pitchers do not normally come back into the game after that long of a break.

Hughes has pitched 209 2/3 innings this year for the Twins. His $500,000 bonus was due to kick in when he hit 210 innings, according to ESPN.

The former New York Yankees hurler signed a contract with the team this season that paid him a base salary of $8 million plus bonuses of $250,000 when he hit 180 and 195 innings pitched.

Those checks have been cashed, but his half-million dollar bonus is not likely to happen.

Twins manager Ron Garndenhire told reporters after the soggy 2-1 victory that he has no plans to use Hughes out of the bullpen this weekend, the season's last.

Hughes appeared to take the snub in stride, though, telling MLB.com that "some things aren't meant to be."

The righthander had a stellar season for the Twins as he posted a 16-10 record with 186 strikeouts and only 16 walks.

That set a major league record for best strikeout-to-walk ratio (11.6) for an entire Major League season.

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