Less than a week into the season, two Major League Baseball (MLB) games were postponed due to a coronavirus outbreak within the Miami Marlins.
The MLB postponed the game between the Marlins, which, according to the media, would have a dozen infected baseball players, and the Baltimore Orioles in Miami as well as the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees.
The Phillies game was postponed as a precaution because this team played games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday against the Marlins in Philadelphia.
“Members of the Marlins’ travel group have self-quarantined” in Philadelphia while they await the results of additional tests, the MLB reported.
On Sunday, US media reported that four Marlins players, including Dominican José Ureña, tested positive for COVID-19 in Philadelphia and that the team had decided to postpone their return to Miami until Monday.
In the past few hours, at least seven other Marlins players and two coaches tested positive for COVID-19, ESPN reported.
“Postponing tonight’s premiere (in Miami) was the right decision to make sure we collectively pause and try to properly understand the whole situation,” Derek Jeter, Marlins CEO, said in a statement.
“We have conducted another round of testing for our players and staff, and our team will remain in Philadelphia awaiting the results of those tests, which we expect later today,” said the former New York Yankees star. “The health of our players and staff has been and will continue to be our primary focus as we navigate these uncharted waters.”
Another 10 major league games are scheduled for this Monday.
– Doubts about the season –
The 2020 Major League Baseball season, which should have started in March but was postponed due to the pandemic, kicked off last Thursday with a shortened schedule from 162 to 60 games played behind closed doors.
Unlike other competitions such as the NBA or MLS, which resumed games in a single “bubble” venue to control the players’ environment, Major League Baseball chose to play the season in team stadiums, with squads traveling continuously and playing almost daily.
In the latest round of coronavirus testing released by MLB last week, there were six positive cases out of a total of 10,548 tests, a percentage of 0.05%.
However, medical experts have questioned that, with this format, the Major Leagues can ensure the safety of the competition with the pandemic in full expansion in the United States.
With 4.23 million cases of COVID-19 and almost 147,000 deaths, the United States is the country most affected by the pandemic in total numbers.
After a respite in May, the cases began to rise again, especially in the south and west of the country, forcing many states to back down from the deconfinement they had begun. AFP (HN)