It’s great to have baseball back to enjoy. For those of who missed sports, it’s a pleasure to see teams reunited and back on the field, playing a sport that’s easier to ensure social distancing. Of course, problems were expected before the league began playing during COVID-19. Now, a few players have tested positive for the virus, which has led to games being postponed.
Marlins vs. Baltimore
There’s been a coronavirus outbreak among the Miami Marlins camp. Miami’s game against the Baltimore Orioles is the first MLB game of the season to get canned for now. Miami has now tested all of their players and awaits the results. In a statement, the MLB confirmed the news:
“Tonight’s scheduled games between the Miami Marlins and the Baltimore Orioles at Marlins Park and the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees at Citizens Bank Park have been postponed while Major League Baseball conducts additional COVID-19 testing. The members of the Marlins’ traveling party are self-quarantining in place while awaiting the outcome of those results. Major League Baseball has been coordinating with the Major League Baseball Players Association; the Marlins; the Orioles; the Marlins’ weekend opponent, the Phillies; and Club medical staffs, and will continue to provide updates as appropriate.”
A Word From the Marlins
The Phillies-Yankees game was postponed, too. Philly had just played the Marlins in a series. More than likely, this won’t be the first and only games to be cancelled during this truncated MLB season. The CEO of the Marlins, Derek Jeter, supported postponing the games:
“The health of our players and staff has been and will continue to be our primary focus as we navigate through these unchartered waters. After a successful Spring 2.0, we have now experienced challenges once we went on the road and left Miami. Postponing tonight’s home opener was the correct decision to ensure we take a collective pause and try to properly grasp the totality of this situation. We have conducted another round of testing for our players and staff, and our team will all remain in Philadelphia pending the results of those tests, which we expect later today. We will provide additional information as soon as it becomes available.”
The Marlins did not confirm how many players or staff members tested positive for the coronavirus. Right now, the team is remaining in Philadelphia before traveling. There’s around 60 games on the books for this short season of the MLB, but we’ll see how many of them we actually see by the end of the year.
Trouble for the NHL and NBA?
The NHL and NBA are back this week. No fans will be present, but they’ll be creepy standees and the strange sounds of fan noises played during the game. With some of the Marlins’ players having tested positive for COVID-19, it raises questions about the NHL and the NBA, plus the NFL, which returns in two months. The MLB season has only just begun, and there’s already been a problem. Unlike what President Trump says, COVID-19 isn’t just going to disappear one day.
Some players have opted out of playing regular seasons this year, but for those who are playing, they’ll likely see plenty of games canceled or postponed. It’s hard to imagine every game going according to schedule due to the pandemic. What if more and more teams test positive for the virus? It’s doubtful the Miami Marlins will be the last professional sports team we hear having to alter their schedule due to players testing positive for COVID-19.
