Canadian Wildfires Disrupting MLB, Minor-League Games

Smoke from Canadian wildfires is causing disruptions not only in Canada but in the U.S. That includes sports are played outdoors — such as baseball.

Already, the orange-clouded skies have canceled minor-league games in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. and Syracuse, N.Y. Meanwhile, the New York Yankees went ahead with their game, despite being forced to play in a gray-ish haze. (Some might argue the Yankees were playing that way even before the fires.)

This is absolutely insane.

Right now the air quality in NYC is the worst since the 1960’s.

Visibility is getting worse and the entire city smells like a camp fire. pic.twitter.com/YnqsMJx8OD

— Ryan Field (@RyanFieldABC) June 7, 2023

Things, of course, are much more serious in Canada, with hundreds of fires taking place from British Columbia to Nova Scotia. In America, the result has been multiple air-quality alerts, with the air officially deemed unsafe by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

It’s not expected to get better any time soon, either.

✅ If it looks or smells smoky outside, take it easier to reduce how much smoke you inhale
✅ Choose a mask that will help protect you from smoke
✅ Limit time spent outdoors by only performing essential activities and take frequent breaks indoors
✅ Reschedule outdoor work tasks

— U.S. EPA (@EPA) June 7, 2023

“Air quality is projected to worsen late Wednesday, and the smoke is expected to remain in some form for at least the rest of this week, likely creating further issues for MLB and Minor League Baseball. The situation remains under close watch by the league, MLB Players Association, and MiLB,” Eric Fischer of Front Office Sports wrote.

Large portions of the Midwest and Northeast U.S. are currently most impacted by the Canadian fires. As for New York City … well, for the record, it long has been said to have among the worst air quality in the world.

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