The Guardians and Pittsburgh Pirates will not play at Progressive Field Friday night, July 17, as air-quality concerns resulted in the postponement of the game, both teams announced.
Fires burning through Canada have added a thick layer of smoke across many parts of the United States, with Cleveland and Northeast Ohio included. In some areas, especially around Detroit, the air quality reached dangerous levels.
Major League Baseball had been in coordination with teams regarding the July 17 slate of games all day. At 4:45 p.m., it was determined that the Guardians and Pirates wouldn’t be able to play at Progressive Field.
At 4:45 p.m., the game was officially postponed due to the low air quality in Cleveland.
The game will be made up as a split doubleheader, with this game being rescheduled for 1:10 p.m. and the second game moving to 7:10 p.m. The second game had an original start time of 4:10 p.m.
“Yeah, we want to be safe for our players,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said before the game was officially called. “We want to make sure that it’s not too smoky, and obviously for the fans as well, it’s just not safe to be out in that environment if it’s not playable. … We can’t control Mother Nature. So we got to do what’s best and what’s smart for both teams and for the fans.”
As of 4 p.m., the Guardians and Pirates are still planning on playing the July 17 game as scheduled. The current air quality according to AirNow is still in the “very unhealthy” range. Both teams and MLB continue to monitor the situation, though.
Will Guardians, Pirates play?
As of 6 a.m., the Guardians and Pirates are slated to play as normal. The game has a first-pitch time of 7:10 p.m. This post will be updated as necessary.
Ryan Lewis covers the Guardians for the Akron Beacon Journal. He can be reached at [email protected].
