NEW YORK – The Chicago White Sox and the New York Yankees game Wednesday has been postponed due to clearly hazardous air quality at Yankee Stadium.
New York City is currently engulfed in a haze caused by smoke drifting down from raging wildfires in Canada.
The game has been rescheduled to Thursday as part of a straight doubleheader, with the first pitch scheduled for 3:05 p.m. Central time. Major League Baseball (MLB) also postponed the Wednesday night game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Detroit Tigers.
The decision to postpone these games was made after extensive consultations with medical and weather experts, as well as discussions with the affected teams. MLB issued a statement, acknowledging the clearly hazardous air quality conditions in both cities.
The severity of the smoke and air quality in New York has raised concerns among residents. Wildfire smoke from Canada has caused air quality to reach unprecedented levels, exceeding 400, which is considered severely hazardous for outdoor activities. This has resulted in flight cancellations at Laguardia Airport and an air quality alert being issued for New York and the surrounding areas.
New York City now holds the unenviable distinction of having the world’s worst air quality, with a ranking of #1 as of 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Authorities are urging locals to remain indoors if possible and to wear masks if they need to venture outside.