WASHINGTON -- As a haze hovered over Nationals Park, the series finale between the D-backs and the Nationals on Thursday afternoon was postponed because of “clearly hazardous air quality conditions in Washington, D.C.,” Major League Baseball announced.
The game is rescheduled for June 22 at 1:05 p.m. ET at Nationals Park.
The decision was made after conversations with medical and weather experts as well as the two teams throughout the morning.
As of 11 a.m. ET, the air quality index (AQI) at Nationals Park was 273. An AQI between 200-300 is code purple, which is considered “very unhealthy.”
This is the third Major League game postponed because of the smoke from Canadian wildfires. On Wednesday, the matchups between the White Sox and Yankees at Yankee Stadium and the Tigers and Phillies at Citizens Bank Park were rescheduled for Thursday.
The Nationals will now depart for a two-city road trip to Atlanta and Houston, with their starting rotation plans bumped back one day. Right-hander Josiah Gray will start on Friday against the Braves, followed by left-hander MacKenzie Gore on Saturday and righty Trevor Williams on Sunday.
When the Nats and D-backs resume their final matchup of the season on June 22, Washington will be looking to avoid a series sweep after Arizona won the first two games -- 10-5 on Tuesday and 6-2 on Wednesday.
Tickets and parking passes for Thursday's original game will be honored for the rescheduled game on June 22. Should a ticket holder be unable to attend on June 22, full information is provided at nationals/ballpark/game-postponement.