The LA Dodgers were thrashed 12-1 by the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday, in a game that will be remembered more for the smog clouding the stadium than the baseball itself.
A huge fire has been burning nearby for several days, with governor Gavin Newsom even declaring an official ‘state of emergency’ in the area.
The fire brigade are continuing to battle the blaze in a cold-storage facility in Boyle Heights, but the wind on Sunday meant that Dodger Stadium was right in the firing line of the smoke as it billowed into the sky.
Despite some concern that the MLB game would not be able to go ahead, officials continued as planned – though perhaps the Dodgers will now wish it hadn’t.
In the game itself, Colton Cowser tied his career-high with four RBIs and Pete Alonso added a three-run homer as the Orioles ran out 12-1 winners.
The nearby fire has sparked huge panic within the government, which is in the process of preparing 5.5 million N95 masks, commercial grade air purifiers, bottled water and other emergency supplies for residents in the area.
Dodger Stadium was shrouded in a haze due to smoke from a nearby warehouse fire on Sunday
In the game, Shohei Ohtani hit a home run but the Dodgers were well beaten 12-1 by Baltimore
The massive warehouse fire at the cold storage facility continues to spread smoke across LA
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Fire Department chief Jaime Moore have also raised concerns over the 85 million pounds worth of food that is currently decaying in the building.
According to the LAFD, if the products decay further, it may create biohazardous conditions.
The blaze began on Wednesday and a shelter-in-place warning was immediately issued for residents of the neighborhood.
It was lifted later that evening but then reinstated as the LAFD struggled to put out the flames.
In the days since, helicopters have been brought in that are capable of dropping 3,000 gallons of water at a time, and fire crews are using a special gel-type fire retardant in a desperate bid to to smother the fire.
At Dodger Stadium, though, it seems none of that was top of the agenda as Major League Baseball pressed ahead with its game on Sunday night.
In the Orioles’ big win, Cowser had three hits including a home run as he notched four RBIs for the fifth time in four seasons in the majors, helping the Orioles take the series win over the Dodgers.
Ohtani played just a day after revealing his rarely-seen wife has given birth to another baby
Residents watch on as firefighters battle the huge blaze in the Boyle Heights neighborhood
Smoke billows across Los Angeles as firefighters continue to try to put the blaze out
Brandon Young (6-2) allowed one run on five hits in five innings. Baltimore is now 10-2 this season when he starts.
Emmet Sheehan (3-5) gave up six runs in 3 1/3 innings as Los Angeles lost consecutive games for the first time since a four-game skid from May 9-12.
Shohei Ohtani and Co now kick off a nine-game road trip with three against Minnesota.
The team will hope that by the time it gets back to Dodger Stadium, there are no health concerns from the fire.
