MLB Calls Off Games Due to Wildfire Smoke From Canada

Two Major League Baseball games have been called off as smoke from wildfires in Canada continues to cause terrible air quality for much of the eastern US, including New York City. The New York Yankees say Wednesday night's game against the Chicago White Sox at Yankee Stadium has been postponed and the teams will play a doubleheader Thursday, the New York Daily News reports. The teams played a game in hazy conditions at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night. The smoke from hundreds of wildfires burning across the border made New York City's air the worst of any major world city Tuesday, and the BBC reports that it was even worse on Wednesday, with the Air Quality Index hitting a shocking 413, a level classed as hazardous.

The Philadelphia Phillies' Wednesday night series finale against the Detroit Tigers has also been postponed to Thursday because of air quality, the AP reports. "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," the league said in a statement. The New York State Department of Health recommended that "individuals consider limiting strenuous outdoor physical activity to reduce the risk of adverse health effects."

Other sporting events were also called off Wednesday, including a National Women's Soccer League game in New Jersey and a WNBA game between the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty. The National Weather Service's New York office said Wednesday that conditions are unlikely to change through the weekend. "A stalled low-pressure system near Maine and the Canadian Maritime Provinces will sustain northerly winds from the fires in Quebec, directing the smoke into portions of the northeastern US," the office tweeted. (More wildfires stories.)