Yankees, Phillies Game Canceled Due To COVID-19 Outbreak
PHILADELPHIA, P.A. (CBSNewYork) — Just days into the baseball season, and one team is reporting a coronavirus outbreak.
Several players and coaches from the Miami Marlins have tested positive.
Their home opener, set for tonight, is canceled, and so is the Yankees game in Philadelphia. That's where the Marlins played last night.
March 11th was the first day the sports world was directly affected by COVID-19. That's when the Utah Jazz's Rudy Gobert tested positive. The NBA season was suspended that night, and started a ripple effect. Eventually, all of sports would be shut down.
We may be at another watershed day, with the outbreak among the Miami Marlins, CBS2's Otis Livingston reported.
Baseball is facing it's first crossroad moment in this coronavirus world we are living in. During their weekend series in Philadelphia, the Miami Marlins had 11 players and two coaches test positive for the virus. They've cancelled their home opener tonight against the Orioles, instead staying in Philadelphia for further testing before returning home.
Marlins CEO Derek Jeter released a statement saying "The health of our players and staff has been and will continue to be our primary focus as we navigate through these uncharted waters."
Water the Yankees are now directly swimming in. They were scheduled to play in Philadelphia tonight, but the game has been postponed. The Yankees and Phillies were scheduled to play and home and away four game series in the next four days. Who knows if that will happen.
All along, the thought was sports leagues would see some positive coronavirus tests, but would be able to handle them. The bubble situations in the NBA and MLS seem to be working. None of the NHL tests taken in the past week have been positive as the 22 teams enter a bubble in Toronto and Edmonton.
The New York Post's Ken Davidoff says it would've been hard to have bubble for the MLB.
"Especially when we're talking about Florida and Arizona. Outdoor games in Florida or Arizona, I don't think that's doable," he said.
The league released the following statement:
"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 Citizen 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 Marlinws weekend opponent, the Phillies; and Club medical staffs, and will continue to provide updates as appropriate.