The haze settling over Milwaukee on account of wildfire smoke isn’t going to postpone the Milwaukee Brewers game against the Miami Marlins on Sunday, July 19.
With four hours to go before first pitch, the roof was open at American Family Field and workers were preparing the infield for the series finale between the two squads. That was despite air quality regarded as “very unhealthy” in Milwaukee and other parts of the Midwest.
Major League Baseball bears the responsibility in determining whether games will get postponed on account of smoke.
Accuweather put the air quality index in Milwaukee at 185, a little south of the 200 measure that has become an unofficial marker for canceling major outdoor events. The AQI was expected to remain in the “very unhealthy” range throughout the day before dipping into the merely “unhealthy” range in the evening.
Heading into Sunday, only one Major League Baseball Game – a contest between the Pirates and Guardians in Cleveland on July 17 – had been postponed on account of air quality from the round of Canadian wildfires sending smoke into the Midwest and Atlantic states. The air quality for that game began at 211 and was expected to worsen as the game went on.
With the stadium’s retractable roof at American Family Field, postponements to Brewers home games are naturally highly unusual. A 2001 game was postponed in the top of the second inning after a stadium power outage, and the home-opening series in 2020 was postponed after the opponent, the St. Louis Cardinals, encountered widespread cases of COVID-19.
Closing the roof and panels in the stadium wouldn’t create improved air quality conditions, particularly if the stadium doesn’t activate its heating system. Even with a relatively comfortable high of 79 degrees on July 19, turning on the heat obviously isn’t an option.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Will smoke and poor air quality impact Sunday’s Brewers game?
Reporting by JR Radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By JR Radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
