Racing at Belmont Park was canceled and the
The Diamondbacks-Nationals contest, which was rescheduled for June 22 at Nationals Park, was the third game postponed by Major League Baseball over the past two days. The New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies had their home games postponed Wednesday.
“This postponement was determined following conversations throughout the day with medical and weather experts and the two impacted Clubs regarding clearly hazardous air quality conditions in Washington, D.C.,” MLB said in a statement.
About 20 minutes before the game was called off, Nationals manager Dave Martinez said he took his dog for a walk earlier in the morning.
“Not good,” Martinez said. “It was a quick one. … It’s pretty bad out there.”
The game in New York between the White Sox and Yankees was rescheduled as part of a doubleheader Thursday, and the Phillies’ game against the Tigers also was reset for Thursday, originally a day off for both teams.
MLB was continuing to monitor the air quality in both cities, but as of Thursday morning, the doubleheader in the Bronx at 4:05 p.m. ET and the contest in Philadelphia at 6:05 ET both were still scheduled to be played.
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 Giants’ practice Friday also is likely to be canceled, according to coach Brian Daboll. The New York Jets still planned to practice Thursday and Friday at their indoor facility in Florham Park, New Jersey, some 30 miles west of East Rutherford.
“It is [wild times],” New York offensive coordinator Mike Kafka said minutes after practice was called off. “Have not [seen anything like it] — have not. Wednesday it was orange [outside].”
The air quality index outdoors in East Rutherford was 198 at 10 a.m. ET on Thursday — a number that is considered unhealthy. An AQI of 200 and above is very unhealthy.
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) delayed its non-public state championship baseball games from Thursday to Friday.
The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) has moved its 12 boys and girls state tournament semifinals from Thursday to Friday.
ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
