The smoky haze that hung over the Philadelphia area on Thursday didn’t stop the Phillies from taking the field.
After Wednesday’s game was postponed, the Phillies’ game against the Detroit Tigers started on time Thursday night at Citizens Bank Park. MLB closely monitored air quality during the day, but as air quality improved in Philadelphia, league officials decided to continue play.
“It’s always sunny in Philadelphia,” NBC Sports Philadelphia spokesman John Kruk said at the start of Thursday’s show.
MLB postponed a game Thursday — a game between the Washington Nationals and Arizona Diamondbacks that was scheduled to start at 1:05 p.m. at Nationals Park. Air quality remained poor in Washington, DC, which issued its first code red air quality warning since 2011.
The Nationals-Diamondbacks game will now take place on June 22nd.
On Wednesday, the league not only postponed the Phillies game, but also postponed a game between the New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox that was supposed to be played at Yankee Stadium, where the orange skies resembled a sci-fi movie.
» READ MORE: Philadelphia Air Quality: Maps, Forecasts, and Latest Updates on Cancellations
Air quality in Philadelphia was worse Thursday morning than Wednesday, although smoke from Canada’s wildfires partially dissipated during the day.
Before Wednesday’s game was postponed, Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh told The Inquirer that the hazy air hadn’t had a major impact on his shots or his ability to track balls. But he couldn’t see the top deck of Citizens Bank Park as he roamed the outfield.
“It was noticeably different out there,” Marsh said. “It felt like Gotham. It was dark. The lights really didn’t do the trick.”
» READ MORE: Phillies on playing in a smoky stadium: “It started to smell like fire”
In addition to discussions with medical and weather experts, the MLB was also in contact with the clubs that were affected by the smoke from the Canadian forest fire. On Wednesday, Phillies baseball operations president Dave Dombrowski sided with health experts.
“I don’t know anything about air quality,” Dombrowski said. “I’m not an expert at it. So I have to look at how other people are directing us, and it was a situation that MLB and the pundits feel like it’s now reached a point where it’s unhealthy for people to be out. So we will follow what they say.”
Detroit News sportswriter Chris McCosky packs his bags after Wednesday’s Phillies-Tigers game was postponed. . … Read moreElizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
If MLB had decided to reschedule Thursday’s game, the Phillies would not have had room in their upcoming game schedule to make up for it. On Friday, they are scheduled to start a three-game home series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, followed by a four-game road trip against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Phillies’ next scheduled rest day isn’t until June 19.
The first game of a doubles game between the Yankees and the White Sox at Yankees Stadium began promptly at 4:05 p.m. Air quality in New York City was better than Philadelphia for most of Thursday but was still rated in the unhealthy zone.