Miami Marlins dealing with COVID-19 outbreak, two MLB games cancelled
By Alex Barth, 985TheSportsHub.com
Four days after playing its first game of 2020, Major League baseball is dealing with their first in-season outbreak of COVID-19.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Miami Marlins returned 10 positive COVID tests overnight. The total number of confirmed positive cases on the team is now ‘at least’ 14. ESPN’s Jesse Rogers has reported that they are not all asymptomatic cases.
Miami played Sunday’s game despite having four positive tests on the team already. Infectious disease experts are calling that decision a mistake.
PHILADELPHIA, PA – JULY 24: The Miami Marlins celebrate their Opening Day win against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on July 24, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 2020 season had been postponed since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Marlins defeated the Phillies 5-2. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
The Marlins had spent the opening weekend of the MLB season in Philadelphia, where the team is still quarantined. As a result, Miami’s Monday night game against the Baltimore Orioles has been canceled. It was supposed to be their home opener.
Meanwhile, the Phillies are now reportedly quarantining their visiting clubhouse staff. The Yankees were scheduled to take on Philadelphia at Citizens Bank Park Monday night, although that game has now been postponed according to FOX’s Ken Rosenthal. Before that announcement, it was reported the Yankees were bringing their own clubhouse staff for the game.
Multiple reports have said Major League Baseball plans to have an emergency meeting to discuss the crisis Monday morning. Under the agreement between the league and the players association, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred does have the power to suspend and/or cancel the season due to an outbreak.
UPDATE:Â Baseball has released a statement on the two impacted games.
