The Washington Nationals postponed their baseball clash with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday due to poor air quality, the latest in a wave of sports fixtures disrupted by smoke from Canadian wildfires.
In a statement citing “poor air quality in the Washington D.C. Area,” the Nationals said the game would now take place on June 22.
The postponement is the latest sporting event to fall foul of the thick smog caused by wildfires in Canada that has shrouded multiple northeastern US cities this week.
On Wednesday, fixtures in Major League Baseball, the Women’s NBA and National Women’s Soccer League were all disrupted.
In New York, MLB said Yankee Stadium was “in an orange haze” due to “smoky conditions” in announcing the Chicago White Sox game against the New York Yankees was postponed.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation issued an air quality alert. The air quality index (AQI) at Yankee Stadium was 335, which is considered hazardous.
On Tuesday, the White Sox defeated the Yankees 3-2 in a game played in smoky conditions.
MLB also postponed the game at Philadelphia involving the host Phillies and Detroit Tigers due to air quality.
The NWSL’s NJ/NY Gotham FC home match against the Orlando Pride in Harrison, New Jersey, was postponed until August 9 due to the New York metro area air quality concerns.
“The safety of our players, officials and fans is our top priority,” the NWSL said in a statement. “Following consultation with the NWSL medical and operations staff, it was determined that the match could not be safely conducted based on the projected air quality index.”
Even indoor events were delayed, with the WNBA New York Liberty’s home game in Brooklyn against the Minnesota Lynx postponed due to air quality issues.
