Mets' game vs. Phillies moved up for air quality concerns

Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News on Jul 16, 2026

Published in Baseball

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PHILADELPHIA — With smoke from Canadian wildfires once again wreaking havoc on the air quality in the Northeast, MLB and the Philadelphia Phillies moved up Thursday night’s game against the Mets by an hour. The air quality is supposed to worsen later in the night, but by moving the game up, it reduced the time the two teams were on the field warming up, giving them an hour they didn’t have to breathe smoke-filled air.

Air quality alerts have been issued in Philadelphia, Delaware, and New Jersey, with conditions deemed “unhealthy for all.” Residents have been urged to stay inside as much as possible and wear masks if needed. Still, MLB and the city of Philadelphia feel that it’s safe enough to play.

“We surely hope it stays that way,” said Mets interim manager Andy Green. “I don’t think you can predict this kind of thing, so we limited our outside exposure to a very short time out there for our guys, and we’ll get out there and play here shortly.”

The Mets and Phillies take center stage Thursday, playing the only game of the night, the first since the All-Star break. The break was cut short by a day for the NL East teams, though they do have Friday off before the series resumes Saturday. It’s a strange schedule, and a strange start to the series.

Typically, players arrive the park early for the first game after the break, going through lengthier pregame workouts than usual. That wasn’t the case Thursday.

The team was informed of the time change at about 4 p.m., well after both had already arrived at the ballpark and started their work for the day. While some players worked out on the field, they were encouraged to complete as much work as possible inside. Batting practice was limited, and while infielders were able to take ground balls and outfielders shagged flies, they had only a short amount of time to do so.

“We got the work done that needs to get done,” Green said. “Just in a condensed format.”

If a player experiences shortness of breath or anything of the sort, he’ll be removed immediately. The Mets don’t anticipate any issues, but the training staff is ready if one arises. This is the second time in three years a game at Citizens Bank Park has been altered because of wildfire smoke, with a game between the Tigers and Phillies being postponed in June 2023.

The Air Quality Index, the EPA’s tool for communicating levels of outdoor pollutants, was around 144 at game time, a level considered unhealthy for all and potentially dangerous for those with serious health issues. MLB typically doesn’t postpone games until the AQI surpasses 200, which is considered an “increased” health risk for all groups.

During the California wildfires in 2020, MLB opted not to cancel series that took place in San Francisco and Oakland, despite ash so thick that stadium lights had to be turned on during the day. The Giants and A’s hosted games under eerie orange skies. The AQI was below 200, so the games were played as scheduled.

“We were told if it was under that, we could play,” said Mets infielder Marcus Semien, who played for the Oakland A’s in 2020. “I don’t know what the actual rules are, but they just want to make sure anybody with asthma is safe, and they’re at risk is safe.”