US sports leagues postpone games amid air quality concerns from wildfire smoke

Major League Baseball postponed games in New York and Philadelphia on Wednesday night because of poor air quality caused by smoke from Canadian wildfires.

A National Women’s Soccer League game in New Jersey and an indoor WNBA game set for Brooklyn were also called off Wednesday amid hazy conditions that have raised alarms from health authorities.

The New York Yankees’ game against the Chicago White Sox was rescheduled as part of a doubleheader starting at 4.05pm on Thursday, and the Philadelphia Phillies’ game against the Detroit Tigers was reset for 6.05pm on Thursday, originally an off day for both teams.

“These postponements were determined following conversations throughout the day with medical and weather experts and all of the impacted clubs regarding clearly hazardous air quality conditions in both cities,” MLB said in a statement.

And scene inside Yankee Stadium… pic.twitter.com/ocPBsPk0ZB

The National Weather Service issued an air quality alert for New York City, saying: “the New York State Department of Health recommends that individuals consider limiting strenuous outdoor physical activity to reduce the risk of adverse health effects.” In Philadelphia, the NWS issued a Code Red.

The Yankees and White Sox played through a lesser haze on Tuesday night. Additionally, a Wednesday night contest between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Washington Nationals in the nation’s capital will go forward as scheduled.

The NWSL postponed Orlando’s match at Gotham in Harrison, New Jersey, from Wednesday night to 9 August.

“The match could not be safely conducted based on the projected air quality index,” the NWSL said.

At nearby Belmont Park, the New York Racing Association said training went on as planned ahead of Saturday’s