Baseball fans have been inundated by new stats over the years, from WAR to wRC+ and exit velocity to barrels.
Welcome to the club, AQI.
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Air Quality Index, the latest addition to the baseball glossary, has been picking up speed since early June, when the New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals had games postponed due to poor air quality from the wildfires in Canada.
The Chicago Cubs were the latest team to deal with air quality issues Tuesday when the AQI in Chicago reached a level deemed “very unhealthy.” MLB had several discussions with the Players Association before gametime, but ultimately opted not to postpone it, which resulted in Philadelphia’s 5-1 win in a smoky haze.