Rockies dugout filled with 'almost two feet' of hail before game vs. Dodgers

Among the Colorado players taking advantage of the extra downtime to enjoy the elements were catcher Elias Diaz and starting pitcher German Marquez.

Diaz, who leads the team in RBI (45), went 1-for-2 with a sacrifice fly during the Rockies' 14-3 loss to the Dodgers and drove in all three Colorado runs. Marquez recently underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery.

Thursday's shocking scene in Denver comes as much of the Eastern United States deals with its second round of air-quality concerns this month stemming from ongoing Canadian wildfires.

The Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies played through the worst air quality in the world during their game on Tuesday night at Wrigley Field. Phillies manager Rob Thomson said afterward that he could smell smoke "the whole game."

Thursday afternoon's tilt between the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Diego Padres at PNC Park was delayed 45 minutes due to the air quality. Multiple members of the host Pirates — including former MVP Andrew McCutchen — called out the league's decision to go forward with the game.

At the time of first pitch, Pittsburgh had an air quality index of 191, which is on the high end of the "unhealthy" range (151-200). "Very unhealthy" is in the 201-300 range, and "hazardous" readings are 301 and above.

The Phillies were among a handful of MLB teams that had a game postponed in early June due to poor air quality. Other leagues like the NWSL and WNBA postponed contests due to the issue as well, while the New York Giants canceled multiple practices.