MLB report: Tigers-Phillies game postponed by smoke from Canadian wildfires

The Philadelphia Phillies' series finale against the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday night was postponed because of poor air quality caused by smoke from Canadian wildfires.

The game was rescheduled for 6:05 p.m. on Thursday, originally an off day for both teams.

Philadelphia won, 1-0, Tuesday in haze and with the smell of smoke in the air. Phillies players and manager Rob Thomson said the conditions did not affect them, though a strong wind blowing in from centerfield halted three would-be home runs.

About a half-hour before the postponement was announced by Major League Baseball, Thomson said he thought Wednesday night's game would be played. The Philadelphia skyline could not be seen from the ballpark because of haze and a smoky smell remained.

The defending NL champion Phillies (29-32) have won four in a row after losing five straight. Ace righthander Zack Wheeler (4-4, 4.33) was scheduled to start the contest against Tigers rookie righty Reese Olson (0-1, 3.60).

Luis Arraez singled twice and raised his major league-leading average to .403 as the host Miami Marlins beat the Kansas City Royals, 6-1, on Wednesday night.

Jesus Sanchez homered, singled twice and had four RBIs for the Marlins, who won their sixth straight. The consecutive three-game series sweeps over the Royals and Oakland A’s are the first by the Marlins at home since winning six straight against Washington and Houston in 2008.

“We’re very confident and happy right now,” Sanchez said. “At the end of the day, the most important thing is to win the game. The positive vibe and adrenaline are there.”

Marlins starter Edward Cabrera’s one-run outing ended after throwing his warm-up pitches to begin the sixth. Manager Skip Schumaker and a Marlins trainer spoke with Cabrera (5-4), who was then removed.

Chris Bassitt (7-4) gave up two runs and four hits with five strikeouts and no walks in eight innings in winning consecutive starts for the Blue Jays.

De La Cruz hit an 0-and-1 fastball from Noah Syndergaard in the first inning that left the bat at 114.8 mph. A day after making his big league debut, the 21-year-old switch-hitter had the second-hardest-hit homer for a 21 or younger since Statcast started in 2015, behind only Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at 115.9 mph on Aug. 21, 2020.