Hurricane Irene is already leaving its mark on the sports world even before coming ashore. Professional baseball games, the NFL, tennis matches and MLS games are being rescheduled as the Hurricane

approaches the East Coast. Major League Baseball announced Thursday that itmoved the scheduled game

Sunday between the FloridaMarlins and Philadelphia Phillies to Saturday at 1:05 p.m., creating a day-night doubleheader.The Boston Red Sox also moved Sunday’s series finale against the Oakland Athletics to Saturday night as part of a daynight

doubleheader. “We felt it was necessary and prudent to move the Sunday game to Saturday,” Red Sox President and CEO LarryLucchino said. “This will not only give us the best opportunity to play the scheduled games, but also help to insure that

traveling conditions are safer for our fans.” The Giants and Jets havemoved up the starting time of their preseason football game five hours to 2 p.m. Saturday. Giants president and CEO John Mara said Thursday the game was rescheduled so fans

would be able to get home safely after the game. The New Haven Open, the final WTA tuneup before next week’s U.S. Open, moved its championship match at Yale to 1 p.m. from 5 p.m. Saturday to avoid the storm.