The Yankees and White Sox returned to the field Thursday, but signs of air-quality concerns remained all around them.
Smoke was present, if not nearly as omnipresent as it was a day earlier.
The crowd for the doubleheader at Yankee Stadium appeared thinner than usual, undoubtedly affected by fans avoiding the outdoors.
And a White Sox player even took particular precaution regarding the air he breathed.
Third baseman Yoan Moncada wore a tight covering over his mouth and nose both at the plate and in the field for both ends of the doubleheader. His White Sox beat the Yankees, 6-5, in the afternoon and lost, 3-0, in the nightcap, after the game Wednesday was postponed because of the air quality.
Moncada kept the covering over his face for the duration of both games, in which he went 1-for-8 with a home run in Game 1 against Luis Severino
Smoke from Canadian wildfires traveled south and blanketed much of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic with air that could be harmful to breathe. The Air Quality Index (AQI) in The Bronx on Thursday afternoon hovered around 150-160, which registered as “unhealthy” — a step up from Wednesday, when the AQI registered above 300 and was termed “hazardous.”
Severino, who allowed four runs in five innings, said the conditions did not affect him “at all.”
“We’ve seen a lot of bizarre over the last few years,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said before the games. “A little used to it. … Definitely bizarre but familiar territory.”