The New York Yankees were forced to play in “unhealthy” conditions on Tuesday in Major League Baseball.
The Yankees faced the Chicago White Sox in the first game of a three-match series at Yankee Stadium. There was no Aaron Judge, who suffered a toe injury in the previous game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday.
Judge has been placed on the Yankees injury list after suffering an injury to his toe while performing a remarkable catch in the outfield. The 31-year-old collided with the concrete base of the outside fence while making the catch, and is set for a spell on the sidelines.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone later confirmed that Judge had been diagnosed with a contusion and sprained toe ligament. Judge later said that he couldn’t rule out that his toe had been broken.
“If I'm on [the injured list], I'm on it. But I'm trying not to be. Who knows?” said Judge. “I've got no answer yet.”
Tuesday saw the Yankees claim a 3-2 win over the White Sox and are third in the AL East below the Tampa Bay Rays and the Orioles. However, the game was overshadowed somewhat by the conditions that players and fans were forced to endure in the Bronx.
The wildfires in Canada have led to major air quality concerns in the United States. It led to New York City mayor Eric Adams issuing a statement to citizens in the city with a major healthy warning.
“While conditions are anticipated to temporarily improve later tonight through tomorrow morning, they are expected to deteriorate further tomorrow afternoon and evening,” Mr. Adams said in The New York Times .
“We recommend all New Yorkers limit outdoor activity to the greatest extent possible,” Mr. Adams said. “Those with pre-existing respiratory problems, like heart or breathing problems, as well as children and older adults, may be especially sensitive and should stay indoors at this time.”
New York’s air quality rating has typically been in the region of 50 the IQAir World Air Quality Index , which would be classed as on the border of “good” and “moderate”. However, Tuesday saw that rating increase to 185 due to the smoke that had covered the city, which is officially classed as “unhealthy” via the Index.
As the Yankees played the White Sox on Monday, the New York sky was covered in an orange and grey glow. Famous monuments in the Big Apple including the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge were difficult to see due to the visibility affects caused by the smoke.
