PHILADELPHIA — Francisco Alvarez homered twice, Brett Baty also went deep and the New York Mets beat the Phillies 4-1 on Thursday night in their first major league game back from the All-Star break.
The game started at 6:10 p.m. ET instead of 7:10 a.m., and the teams played under foggy skies with poor air quality due to smoke that had spread into the region from wildfires burning in Canada and Minnesota.
“It’s definitely different,” Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper said during an ESPN telecast while holding a microphone on the field early in the second inning. “They don’t really change the game too much. But I think it’s not a good idea to come here and play in this weather, but you know, we do it.”
This is the second time wildfire smoke has affected a game in Philadelphia. In June 2023, a game between Detroit and Philadelphia was postponed due to poor air quality related to smoke from wildfires in Canada.
Orange haze from wildfires blanketed the sky during the Phillies’ home game against the Mets on Thursday. AP Photo/Chris Sagola
After his team’s win, Mets interim manager Andy Greene was asked how the conditions affected the game.
“I don’t think they really did it,” Green said. “I guess I felt like they could have done it at any time, especially when the visibility got worse. But the kids got to see the baseballs, which I couldn’t as they flew into the air as pop-ups. So, it’s good that we have good athletes on the field who can see things.”
Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly said tracking fly balls later in the game appeared to be an issue.
“It didn’t seem like a big deal,” Mattingly said. “Later the vision was more like fog than air quality. As for the guys, (visibility) seemed to be an issue.”
New York slugger Juan Soto was removed in the eighth with left calf soreness, but Green said the All-Star outfielder is expected to return to the lineup this weekend. Soto missed about two and a half weeks in April with a right calf strain.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.