Major League Baseball's first game after the All-Star break was played in "unhealthy" air conditions.
The Philadelphia Phillies hosted the New York Mets as air quality due to Canadian wildfires reached an index of 196 - other parts of the Northeast and Midwest neared 500, which is considered hazardous.
Due to the air concerns, it was announced at around 4 p.m. ET that the game, originally slated for 7:10 p.m., would be moved up an hour, which apparently was a good idea.
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"I didn't think it was bad until the last couple of innings. Eyes itching, burning a little bit," Mets infielder Brett Baty said. "[Carson] Benge said it felt like you were sitting at a campfire, just close to a campfire, which was pretty good. It's fun, but it didn't feel great playing ball with it, though."
"At the end of the game, it was a little bit more difficult, especially catching," Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez added through an interpreter. "It became more difficult to see at the end."
Mets pitcher Christian Scott said he "felt like I was breathing some metal."
Bryce Harper was a bit more stern, saying while he was mic'd up on the ESPN broadcast during the game that it was "not the greatest idea to come out and play in this type of weather."
Phillies starter Aaron Nola added that the "smoky" conditions were "not ideal."
Both interim managers, Don Mattingly and Andy Green, didn't seem to think the air affected the gameplay too much, but Mattingly and Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh credited umpire Dan Iassogna for constantly checking the air quality and making sure the players were OK.
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"It felt like it could have [affected the game] at any moment, especially as visibility got tougher," Green said. "Guys managed to see baseballs that I couldn't when they went up in the air as pop-ups. Good thing we have good athletes on the field that can see things. Don't think it ultimately did, from my perspective."
In fact, Marsh said the umpires would check with the players to see if they were OK and not having breathing issues.
"Multiple times," Marsh said. "They were checking with us, asking us players, which was cool to see, if we were good to go. And obviously, we were all ready to go. It was good by them. Wasn’t expecting that."
The Phillies didn't take batting practice outdoors, as Mattingly admitted he wanted to be on the field "as little...as possible."
The Mets and Phillies are actually off on Friday before resuming their series on Saturday, but Mattingly said he did not hear any conversations about moving the game.
An MLS game in Chicago was postponed on Thursday, as well. It is expected that the air will be better as the days go by, which seems rather important for Sunday's World Cup final between Argentina and Spain at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
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