For those who haven’t heard, Eastern Canada has been experiencing a truly awful spell of wildfires in recent weeks. The wildfires have been so bad that smoke has shifted down into the United States. It’s now heavily affecting the air quality in the Northeast. Just take a look at what Yankee Stadium looks like today.
No folks, that’s not a filter or a clip from a zombie movie. That’s the actual Yankee Stadium. The smoke from the wildfires became apparent during last night’s White Sox vs Yankees game in the Bronx. Things have gotten so bad that New York City ranked fourth-worst in air quality AROUND THE WORLD as of late this morning.
Could this affect tonight’s White Sox and Yankees game in New York or any of the other outdoor games in the Northeast? Brendan Kuty of The Athletic spoke with a climate scientist from Columbia University named Dan Westervelt. After their conversation, Kuty reported the following:
“Westervelt said he wasn’t worried whether Yankees or White Sox players would be affected much by the poor air quality, considering they’re mostly young and in shape. But he said some people, particularly young children, older people and those with respiratory or heart conditions are ‘definitely going to notice the ill effects from this poor air quality.’ He said regarding those fans, he would ‘highly recommend to stay inside or avoid strenuous outdoor activities.’
It’s not known what measures, if any will be taken by the league at this time. The Yankees AAA affiliate postponed their game due to an “abundance of caution” but no indication has been made by the MLB that the Yankees and White Sox will follow suit.
We would have to assume we’ll find out shortly either way. Thoughts go out to those suffering from the wildfires in Canada or struggling with the air quality in New York.
UPDATE: Tonight’s White Sox and Yankees game has been postponed due to poor air quality. The two teams will play a doubleheader tomorrow.