Thursday afternoon, the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Diego Padres are wrapping up their three-game series at PNC Park (GameTracker). The game was delayed approximately 45 minutes because of smoke and poor air quality in Pittsburgh stemming from wildfires in Canada. The air quality index in Pittsburgh is in the "very unhealthy" range Thursday afternoon.
"After collaborative discussions between Major League Baseball, the Major League Baseball Players Association, our team of expert medical providers at Allegheny Health Network, our players and staff, we have made the decision to move forward with our game today," the Pirates announced Thursday. "We will continue to closely monitor the air quality index levels around the ballpark and respond accordingly."
Multiple games were postponed due to poor air quality earlier this month and, ultimately, MLB has the final say on these matters. Several Pirates players were reportedly not happily they have to play Thursday, however. Andrew McCutchen wore a mask on the bases, which is the current recommendation when you go outdoors in Pittsburgh.
"Of course I'm concerned," McCutchen told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette prior to the game. "You read the alerts. You read everything they're saying, trying to stay safe from outside. One of the main things is to avoid strenuous activity, and that's what we're doing for three-plus hours out there."
Catcher Austin Hedges told the Associated Press: "I don't really know why we are playing. It seems like everyone is kind of uneducated on this subject, which is too bad. It's clear as day when you look at your phone and you check the numbers. Like, it's told you don't go outside. They're not telling you don't go outside and they're not saying that for no reason. We're not any different than any other humans."
Although MLB games were postponed by poor air quality related to the wildfires were postponed earlier this month, those games had an air quality index in the "hazardous" range. Other games were played through poor air quality that was below the "hazardous" level.
