Poor Air Quality Postpones Chicago White Sox Game In New York

CHICAGO — The Chicago White Sox's hope of extending their current winning streak will be put on hold for at least a day after Major League Baseball canceled their game on Wednesday in New York against the Yankees due to poor air conditions.

Major League Baseball announced the decision Wednesday afternoon due to air quality concerns at Yankee Stadium, where the Sox beat the Yankees 3-2 on Tuesday under a smoky haze. But with smoke from the Canadian wildfires diminishing air quality across the Northeast, league officials decided that conditions were too hazardous to play on Wednesday.

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The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation issued an air quality alert in effect until midnight. As of 3 p.m. on Wednesday, the air quality index for Yankee Stadium was 335, which is considered hazardous, the league announced.

Some Sox players told reporters on Wednesday that they experienced some minor complications such as having a cough when they woke up. However, players said the health issues were nothing serious. But first-year Sox manager Pedro Grifol said that at least one Sox outfielder had trouble picking up fly balls on Tuesday night due to the hazy conditions in New York.

But he said when the team returned to the ballpark on Wednesday, conditions had worsened.

“It got a little concerning out there for us. Not that they were going to let us take (batting practice), but we canceled on our own," Grifol told reporters on Wednesday, according to the Sun-Times. We weren’t going to go out there.”

“A couple of guys, myself, my throat started hurting a little bit,” Grifol added. “Maybe it’s mental, maybe it’s not. Still, (MLB) did the right thing.”

The White Sox and Yankees are scheduled to play a doubleheader on Thursday, but league officials will be forced to monitor air quality conditions.