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MLB smoke updates: Latest updates on Phillies-Mets, other games impacted by Canadian wildfires originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Three years after smoke from Canadian wildfires postponed three MLB games, many Americans are again dealing with reduced air quality and visibility.
MLB received perfect weather for its All-Star festivities in Philadelphia, avoiding rain, smoke, and even this week's most extreme temperatures, but the start of the second half of the season on Thursday night could be at risk as smoke creeps further south.
As MLB returns in full force on Friday, other games could potentially be at risk.
Here are the latest updates on which games are impacted by Canadian wildfire smoke.
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Latest updates on MLB games impacted by Canada wildfires
MLB returns with just one game on Thursday night as the Phillies host the Mets, but 15 games are set to be played on Friday, with the Phillies and Mets off but the Red Sox hosting a doubleheader against the Rays.
Mets vs. Phillies on July 16
The good news for MLB is that there is only one game on the schedule to be affected by wildfire smoke on Thursday. The bad news, however, is that the game is likely to be impacted in some form.
As of Thursday morning, the air quality index (AQI) in Philadelphia is 185, according to AirNow. That's in the Environmental Protection Agency's "unhealthy" range, not far from the "very unhealthy" range that starts at 201.
2023's wildfires give an indication of whether the game might be played, as the Yankees and White Sox played a hazy game with an AQI in the low 200s while the Nationals and Diamondbacks played a game with an AQI in the 180 range before their game the following day was postponed with the AQI hovering near 270.
According to AccuWeather, Philadelphia's AQI is forecasted to be 162 at the 7:05 p.m. ET first pitch between the Mets and Phillies and could rise to 200 by the end of the night.
MLB doesn't have a set AQI standard that automatically postpones a game, but it's reasonable to think the game could be played in those hazy conditions unless the league breaks its precedent from 2023.
Friday's MLB games
It's still difficult to forecast the smoke for Friday, but heavy smoke is expected to dip into the mid-Atlantic. That's not the worst news for MLB, as the Nationals and Orioles are both on the road while the Phillies are off.
The Yankees, however, could see their game against the Dodgers impacted, while games at Progressive Field in Cleveland and Wrigley Field and Chicago could also be affected depending on which way the wind takes the smoke. The Blue Jays play at home on Friday night against the White Sox but have the option to close their roof.
With smoke expected to move well south of Boston by Friday, the Red Sox's doubleheader against the Rays is less likely to be affected but will still be worth monitoring.
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MLB games today
There is just one MLB game on the schedule Thursday:
| Time | Matchup |
| 7:10 p.m. | Mets vs. Phillies |
Most teams receive a full four days off during the All-Star break, but Thursday's game is a primetime ESPN matchup right where the All-Star Game was hosted, mitigating travel. The Phillies and Mets will both be off on Friday.
Canadian wildfire smoke map
Here's a visualization of the smoke forecast, courtesy of The Washington Post.
Why is the air quality so bad?
Raging wildfires in Canada and parts of Minnesota, along with wind, have sent smoke in the direction of the Midwest, Northeast, and mid-Atlantic United States.
There are more than 830 wildfires raging, with the vast majority in Canada and the largest in west-central Ontario. Air quality first deteriorated in Minnesota and Michigan but started affecting the northeast, including New York, on Wednesday.
Canadian wildfire smoke previously had a large-scale impact on the eastern United States in 2023, when New York's skies turned a shade of gray-orange, and three MLB games were cancelled between New York, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia.
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