Yankees and Phillies games threaten to be canceled tonight as dangerous smoke continues to cloud the East Coast… with MLB ‘monitoring closely’ the impact of Canadian wildfires
The New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies could both see their Major League Baseball games postponed tonight as dangerous smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to wreak havoc on America’s East Coast.
As it stands, both the Phillies and Yankees games will go ahead despite the smog and low air quality in the northeastern part of the country, but MLB says they are “monitoring the situation closely” and have authority to cancel games. blow.
On Tuesday night, Minor League games in Syracuse and Scranton were postponed due to air quality, but no Majors games have been affected so far.
In September 2020, a Seattle Mariners game was postponed and a series moved to San Francisco due to air quality.
On Wednesday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams advised that “vulnerable New Yorkers stay indoors,” and the National Weather Service issued an air quality warning until midnight.
Pictured on Wednesday is a blurry Yankees Stadium ahead of tonight’s White Sox game
The Yankees played through the smog on Tuesday, despite New York’s poor air quality
New York City was shrouded in thick smoke from Canadian wildfires on Wednesday
New York City trails only Delhi, India, for the worst air quality and pollution of 100 countries tracked as of Wednesday morning. MLB officials have yet to share an update on Wednesday night’s games in the Northeast.
The Yankees, Phillies and Washington Nationals all play at home.
The Yankees will face the Chicago White Sox at Yankees Stadium, while the Phillies will play the Detroit Tiger at Citizens Bank Park and the Nationals will host the Arizona Diamondbacks at Nationals Park.
The Yankees did play against the White Sox in the Bronx on Tuesday evening and lost 2-1. The effect of the low air quality had an impact on gameplay, with players struggling to see through the smog throughout the night.
Dan Westervelt, a climate change and air pollution scientist, told The Athletic that the current weather conditions in the Big Apple are “pretty unprecedented.”
The air quality alerts warn “sensitive groups,” a large category that includes children, older adults, and people with lung diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Children, who are often encouraged to go out and play, “are more susceptible to smoking for a number of reasons,” says Laura Kate Bender, the Lung Association’s National Assistant Vice President, Healthy Air. “Their lungs are still developing. They breathe in more air per unit of body weight.”
It’s a good time to put off yard work and outdoor activities. If you want to go outside, consider wearing an N95 mask to reduce your exposure to pollutants. Stay indoors and keep doors, windows and fireplaces closed.