Friday's scheduled baseball game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Cleveland Guardians was postponed due to air quality concerns stemming from wildfire smoke originating in Canada. Cleveland announced the postponement, citing the need to prioritize the health and safety of players and fans.
As of Friday afternoon, Cleveland's Air Quality Index (AQI) registered 244, a level classified as "very unhealthy" with increased health risks for everyone, according to AirNow. A healthy AQI typically falls between 0 and 50.
The smoke has caused hazy skies in Cleveland and surrounding areas of northeast Ohio for the past two days, though conditions were expected to improve by Saturday afternoon.
MLB holds the authority to postpone or cancel games based on the AQI. This is not the first game affected by the smoky conditions; on Thursday, the New York Mets' game against the Philadelphia Phillies was moved up one hour in an attempt to avoid the worst of the smoke, though it eventually enveloped Citizens Bank Park during the game. Mets infielder Brett Baty described the experience as "burning and itching" eyes and feeling like "sitting by a campfire."
In place of Friday's postponed game, a split doubleheader is scheduled for Saturday at Progressive Field. The first game is set to begin at 1:10 p.m. Eastern, followed by the second game at 7:10 p.m. Eastern. Fans attending the doubleheader will be required to clear the stadium between games. Ticket holders unable to attend the makeup game on Saturday will be able to make exchanges for their tickets, with exchanges needing to be completed no later than 1:00 p.m. ET on July 18. Gavin Williams, originally slated to pitch Friday for the Guardians, will now start Game 1 on Saturday. Logan Allen has been called up from Triple-A Columbus to start Game 2.