Deluge floods Kauffman Stadium

Workers clean up after heavy rain flooded the outfield of Kauffman Stadium before the game between the Kansas City Royals and the Chicago White Sox. The flooding was the result of a deluge Tuesday in Kansas City, Mo.

? Emergency crews mopped up the outfield and worked frantically to repair the warning track at Kauffman Stadium on Tuesday after nearly three inches of rain fell in half an hour.

The deluge happened at 3 p.m., about four hours before the Royals were set to play the Chicago White Sox, and sent water into the dugouts and both clubhouses, said Chris Richardson, director of event operations.

Ordinarily, the stadium could have handled the downpour. But ongoing construction in a $250 million renovation project left the 35-year-old facility vulnerable.

“The problem was with a temporary wall that had been put up,” Richardson said. “There was so much water that hit the wall all at once. The water came down and flooded the bullpens and the outfield area. The home bullpen got the worst of it.”

Although rain had subsided, the Royals and White both canceled infield and batting practice while crews worked to get the field ready.