Dr. Anthony Fauci believes that the MLB season could be in trouble after there was an outbreak of coronavirus within the Miami Marlins organization.
“This could put him in danger,” said Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease expert. “I don’t think they should stop, but we just have to follow this and see what happens to other teams day by day.”
Fauci commented on ABC’s “Good Morning America” ahead of the news of the latest Marlins test results.
MARLINS SEASON PAUSED AS A CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK HAMPERS CLUB
“The Major League Baseball – the players, the owners, the managers – have put a lot of effort into coming together and putting protocols that we think would work,” added Fauci. “What happened with the Miami (Marlins) is very unfortunate.”
Sportsgrid’s Craig Mish first reported that the Marlins’ games were temporarily on hold. Major League Baseball also released a statement on the matter.
The league announced that the Marlins games would be postponed until Sunday. MLB also said games between the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees would also be postponed. The Yankees would start a home-and-home series on Wednesday against the Baltimore Orioles.
“The health and safety protocols were designed with a challenging circumstance like that faced by the Marlins in mind. The response described in the joint MLB-MLBPA Operations Manual was immediately triggered upon learning of the cluster of positive cases, including contact tracing and the quarantine and evidence of all identified close contacts. Marlins staff who tested positive have been placed in isolation and are receiving care, “MLB said in a statement.
“In more than 6,400 tests conducted since Friday, July 24, there have been no new positive aspects of the staff on the field for any of the other 29 clubs. This result is in line with encouraging overall data since the start of the tests on 27 June. Until last Thursday, July 23, 99 of the 32,640 samples – 0.3% – had been positive. “
“The difficult circumstances of a Club reinforce the vital need to be diligent with protocols in every way, both on and off the field. We will continue to strengthen our protocols and make necessary adjustments. The realities of the virus remain important, and we must operate. with that in mind every day. We are confident that clubs and players will act appropriately, for themselves and for others, and the data provides reason to believe that protocols can work effectively. “
ROB MANFRED DOES NOT THINK THE MARLINS GROSS IS A “NIGHTMARE” STATUS FOR THE MLB, AS POSITIVE TESTS OF COVID-19 GROW
At least four Marlins players tested positive for the coronavirus before Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies. The Marlins and Phillies played anyway, but the positive tests at the time were just the tip of the iceberg.
On Monday, several additional players tested positive. The Marlins were forced to postpone games between the Baltimore Orioles because of it. The Phillies’ series against the New York Yankees was also suspended.
On Tuesday, The Athletic reported that four more players tested positive, bringing the total number to 17 positive cases.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred addressed the situation on the MLB Network on Monday.
“I don’t put this in the nightmare category,” he said. “We don’t want any player to be exposed. It’s not a positive thing, but I don’t see it as a nightmare.”
He continued: “We created the protocols to allow us to continue playing. That is why we have expanded lists. That is why we have expanded groups of additional players. We believe we can keep people safe and keep playing. “
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The increasing number of cases could indicate problems for the Marlins, a problem that Manfred said would have to be addressed when it actually happens.
“A team that loses a number of players that made it completely uncompetitive would be a problem that we would have to address and think about making a change to, whether that would end part of a season, the entire season, that depends on the circumstances.” , said.
He continued, “Same thing for the entire league. You get to a certain point in the entire league where it becomes a health threat and we would certainly close at that point.”
Until now, MLB owners have not discussed canceling the entire season.
Fox Gay’s Ryan Gaydos and Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.
