The smell was the first sign that something was wrong, giving the air a sharp, burnt quality. Then it became clear that the haze hanging over Wrigley field and shrouding the distant highrises to the north wasn’t cloud cover or fog.
The wildfire smoke coming down from Canada made Chicago’s air quality Tuesday the worst among big cities worldwide Tuesday. Leading up to the Cubs’ series opener against the Phillies, the team had check-in calls with Major League Baseball every hour on the hour, manager David Ross said. The decision on whether or not to postpone the game was in MLB and the players association’s hands.
“So far, I think we’re going to get it in,” Ross said two and a half hours before game time.
They did, indeed, go forward with the game as usual. The Cubs lost first game back from London by a score of 5-1.
Earlier this month, MLB did postpone games in New York and Philadelphia because of poor air quality. When the decision came down, on July 7 at about 4:30 E.T., AirNow.gov reported the Bronx’ air quality index at 413 and Philadelphia’s at 233. Anything above 200 is considered “very unhealthy.” Anything over 300 is considered “hazardous.”
At the time of first pitch at Wrigley Field on Tuesday, the A.Q.I in Chicago registered at 254, according to AirNow.gov, and it gradually improved over the course of the game.
“We’re all kind of just learning what that really means,” second baseman Nico Hoerner said before the game. “The air quality numbers and things like that are not something I’m actually that familiar with.”
Ross also avoided making any definitive judgements before the game.
“I was out walking around a little bit earlier today, and it’s not ideal,” he said. “There’s probably some smarter people making decisions on that than me.”
The smoke only exasperated a physically taxing week for the Cubs. The team flew to London from Pittsburgh after their game last Wednesday. They contended with the swelling and aches that come from a seven-hour flight, and then the jet lag that goes hand-in-hand with a six-hour time difference from Chicago.
Cubs outfielder Mike Tauchman was with the Yankees in 2019 when New York faced Boston in the inaugural London Series.
“You’re probably not gonna feel great,” he said when asked what he learned. “So, it just kind of is what it is. And really, really focus on recovery on the way back. That was tough last time, coming back.”
Late on Sunday, less than four days and two games later, they boarded another plane to do it all again. They had one day off to recover.
Hoerner was optimistic about the team’s ability to bounce back physically.
“The first day in England was definitely a transition, landing at 10 [a.m.] and trying to stay up that first day,” he said before the game Tuesday. “But now I think we’re feeling pretty good.”
Ross was more cautious in his evaluation.
“We’re still going through it, if I’m being honest,” Ross said Tuesday. “We’ve got the next couple of days to try to see how things continue to shake out, listen to the players, how they’re feeling, what you see within their performance, and try to do the best we can to take care of that.”
It’s unclear exactly how the London Series and air quality affected the team’s performance on Tuesday. Starter Jameson Taillon gave up two home runs to Brandon Marsh, and the Cubs offense recorded just two hits in the first seven innings of the game.
They showed signs of life in the eighth, converting singles from Cody Bellinger, Nick Madrigal and Hoerner into the Cubs’ only run.