Cleveland Guardians game postponed due to wildfire smoke
· Yahoo Sports
The Cleveland Guardians postponed their Friday, July 17 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates as dangerous air quality due to smoke from Canadian wildfires rendered conditions unhealthy for players and fans.
It marked the third time in seven seasons that a game was postponed due to extreme wildfire smoke. It delayed the start of the second half for the Pirates and Guardians coming off the four-day All-Star break. They will play a split doubleheader Saturday, with games at 1:10 and 7:10 ET.
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In Cleveland, the air quality index remained in the "dangerous" zone as determined by the Environmental Protection Agency well into the midday hours Friday, registering 272 early in the day still at 242 90 minutes before the scheduled first pitch. Readings between 201 and 300 are deemed "very unhealthy," and a health alert is issued. Readings above 300 are classified as "hazardous."
It was a similar scenario in Chicago, where Major League Soccer's Fire postponed their game Thursday when the AQI reached 597. The late-morning AQI remained above 300 and was forecast to stay near 250 by 7 p.m. CT, when the Cubs were scheduled to play host to the Minnesota Twins. No announcement has been made regarding that game.
Milwaukee's American Family Field has a retractable roof, but outdoor conditions remained in the "dangerous" category most of Friday, creating an impediment for fans and workers aiming to get to the ballpark safely. The AQI was still forecast to remain above 200 by 6:40 CT, gametime for the Brewers and Miami Marlins.
In Toronto, the Blue Jays announced the roof to Rogers Centre would be closed - rare for a seasonably warm summer night - due to poor air quality.
The New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies tipped off the symbolic start of the second half with a standalone game on Thursday night in Philadelphia. Game time was moved from 7:05 to 6:10 ET due to worsening conditions, and the teams played through a hazy smoke that grew worse as the game went on.
"Not gonna lie, toward the end of it, it was a little thick. I felt like I was breathing some metal in there," says Mets starting pitcher Christian Scott, who pitched 5 2/3 innings. "At the end of the day, a little spoonful of adversity never hurt anybody. Part of the game."
Other players likened the conditions to playing in front of a campfire. The teams are off Friday.
MLB has postponed or moved games on two occasions in recent years due to air quality. On June 7 and 8 2023, games were postponed in New York, Philadelphia and Washington due to poor air quality. In 2020, a Seattle Mariners game was postponed – and then relocated to San Francisco – after the Mariners and Athletics played through poor conditions.
The league does not exclusively rely on AQI in making such calls. Yet there are numerical thresholds where protocols and levels of scrutiny go into place, triggering deeper dives into current conditions and projected changes in air quality as MLB, in conjunction with the MLB Players' Association, consults with medical and weather experts.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cleveland Guardians game postponed due to wildfire smoke