Before the Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays squared off in the rubber match of their three-game series Sunday, rumbles of thunder reverberated in the distance as a light rain peppered the field at Camden Yards.

The first pitch was only delayed a few minutes, but for the 30 high school seniors who expected to play in the Brooks Robinson All-Star game, it lasted a bit longer.

Moments after the Rays defeated the Orioles, 9-6, a sharp rain intensified and on-field conditions worsened, pushing the 30th annual game back a day. The Brooks Robinson All-Star game will be played Monday at 2 p.m. at Camden Yards. Admission is free and spectators can enter the park through Gate D.

Originally called the Crown All-Star game when it was first played at Memorial Stadium in 1982, the showcase features the best seniors from each region of Maryland.

During pregame introductions, players and coaches from the North and South teams gathered along the first baseline and were announced to the crowd, a moment C. Milton Wright pitcher Bobby Ruse was particularly excited for before the game.

"I was sitting in my bed this morning, waking up, and I was like, 'this is it, man. I'm going to be playing on Camden Yards, I'm going to be pitching there,'" he said. "We get introduced with all the players at the beginning of the game. It's going to be awesome."

For Calvert Hall outfielder Matt Bosse, a member of the North team and lifelong Orioles fan, walking into Camden Yards with his baseball gear was a strange sensation.

"It's really kind of funny because I was walking in and I'm seeing myself with a uniform on," he said. "It's really weird because I'm usually in my O's gear coming to watch the Orioles game. So it's a little weird, but it's going to be a lot of fun."

xcxmcastello@baltsun.com