Featured image credit: Chanan Greenblatt on Unsplash
Major League Baseball games in New York and Philadelphia were postponed yesterday (Wednesday) due to hazardous air quality conditions caused by wildfires in Canada.
The Philadelphia Phillies had been due to host the Detroit Tigers at Citizens Bank Park, while the New York Yankees were scheduled to welcome the Chicago White Sox to Yankee Stadium.
MLB announced that both games would be postponed after conversations were held throughout the day with medical and weather experts, as well as all of the impacted clubs. The league highlighted the “clearly hazardous” air quality conditions in New York and Philadelphia.
The two games are now scheduled to go ahead today, with the Yankees and the White Sox to play a traditional doubleheader. The decision was taken as air quality levels dropped significantly yesterday amid more than 200 wildfires currently burning in Canada, with an orange haze engulfing New York City.
Thursday’s scheduled game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park was later postponed and is now due to take place on June 22.
Elsewhere in MLB, the Toronto Blue Jays closed the roof at Rogers Centre during yesterday’s game against the Houston Astros due to the poor air quality.
The conditions in New York also led to the postponement of the WNBA basketball game between the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx at Barclays Center. In neighbouring New Jersey, the National Women’s Soccer League game between NJ/NY Gotham FC and Orlando Pride at Red Bull Arena was also called off.
The conditions also impacted horse racing, with the New York Racing Authority cancelling today’s training at Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course.
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