Major League Baseball postponed games in New York and Philadelphia on Wednesday night due to poor air quality caused by smoke from the Canadian wildfires.
A Women’s National Soccer League game in New Jersey and a WNBA indoor game in Brooklyn were also canceled Wednesday amid hazy conditions that have raised alarm bells from health officials.
The New York Yankees’ game against the Chicago White Sox has been rescheduled as part of a doubleheader starting at 4:05 p.m. Thursday, and the Philadelphia Phillies’ game against the Detroit Tigers has been rescheduled for 6:05 p.m. Thursday, originally an off day for both teams. .
“These postponements were determined after discussions throughout the day with medical and meteorological experts and all affected clubs regarding the clearly hazardous air quality conditions in both cities,” MLB said in a statement.
The National Weather Service issued an air quality alert for New York City, saying: “The New York State Department of Health recommends that people consider limiting strenuous physical activity outdoors to reduce the risk of adverse health effects.” in Philadelphia, the NMS issued a code red.
The Yankees and White Sox played in less fog Tuesday night. Additionally, Wednesday night’s contest between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Washington Nationals in the nation’s capital will take place as scheduled.
The NWSL postponed Orlando’s match at Gotham in Harrison, New Jersey, from Wednesday night to August 9.
“The match could not be carried out safely based on the projected air quality index,” the NWSL said.
At nearby Belmont Park, the New York Racing Association said training continued as planned ahead of Saturday’s Triple Crown horse race.
“NYRA uses third-party weather services and advanced on-site equipment to monitor weather conditions and air quality in and around Belmont Park,” spokesman Patrick McKenna said Wednesday. “Training was conducted as normal today, and NYRA will continue to assess the general environment to ensure safe training and racing throughout the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.”
Later Wednesday, the WNBA announced that a scheduled contest between the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center would also be postponed following smoke. reportedly entered the arena.
The smoke that reached the US East Coast and Midwest on Wednesday came from more than 400 fires in Canada. It has raised the alarms of the health authorities about the poor quality of the air.
A two-game series in Seattle between the Mariners and the Giants was moved to San Francisco in September 2020 due to poor air quality caused by the West Coast wildfires.
New York’s NFL teams, the Giants and Jets, had Wednesday off from offseason training. The Giants had planned to practice inside Thursday, and the Jets say they likely will practice inside Thursday as well.
Several minor league baseball games were postponed