PHILADELPHIA - Francisco Alvarez homered twice, Brett Baty also went deep and the New York Mets defeated the Phillies 4-1 on Thursday night in the first major league game following the All-Star break.

The game started at 6:10 p.m. ET instead of 7:10, and the teams played under a hazy sky with diminishing air quality because of smoke that moved into the region from wildfires burning in Canada and Minnesota.

"It is certainly unusual," Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper said during the ESPN telecast while wearing a microphone on the field during the top of the second inning. "They rarely shift game times. But heading out to play in this kind of weather might not have been the best plan, though we are proceeding with it."

It marked the second occasion that wildfire smoke impacted a contest in Philadelphia. Back in June 2023, a matchup involving Detroit and Philadelphia was called off owing to subpar air quality stemming from Canadian wildfire smoke.

Following the Mets victory, interim manager Andy Green addressed how the conditions influenced the game.

"I do not believe they had much impact," Green noted. "It appeared they might at any point, particularly as visibility worsened. Yet, players succeeded in spotting baseballs that I could not when they ascended as popups. Fortunately, we have skilled athletes out there capable of tracking them."

Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly indicated that following fly balls became challenging later on.

"It did not appear to pose a major issue," Mattingly observed. "The sight later resembled foggy conditions more than concerns over air quality. From the players perspective, visibility seemed to be the main challenge."

New York power hitter Juan Soto exited in the eighth inning due to left calf discomfort, though Green indicated the All-Star outfielder should return to the lineup over the weekend. Soto had been sidelined for roughly 2.5 weeks in April with a right calf strain.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.