The official MLB version of the coronavirus outbreak in the Miami Marlins? It is not a “nightmare”.
Commissioner Rob Manfred spoke publicly Monday night for the first time since the Marlins outbreak took over the baseball news cycle. He said MLB was expecting positive evidence and believes that the league’s security protocols are adequate to keep players safe.
As aired by Bill Shaikin of the LA Times, Manfred also reiterated that there were no serious talks about pausing or canceling the season in a call with the owners on Monday.
In a conference call with the owners today, Manfred said there were no serious discussions about stopping the season: “We believe protocols are adequate to keep our players safe.”
– Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) July 27, 2020
Manfred: “I don’t put this in the ‘nightmare’ category … We create protocols to allow us to keep playing.”
– Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) July 27, 2020
This follows news that 13 members of the Marlins had tested positive for coronavirus, leading to the postponement of their Monday game against the Orioles in Miami. The Phillies, who have just received the Marlins, also postponed their game Monday against the Yankees while awaiting test results.
When asked what MLB would consider serious enough to consider pausing a team’s season, Manfred said: “A team that lost a number of players that made it completely uncompetitive.”
Save your jokes from the Marlins. They have enough players from their taxi squad to form a team, as long as there isn’t a lot of positive evidence. If that’s the case, Manfred announced on the MLB Network that the Marlins could play in Baltimore on Wednesday, instead of organizing the Orioles in Miami. That would be the third game in the scheduled three-game series.
Here is a portion where Manfred talks about programming:
This appears to be just the first MLB test with coronavirus, with more positive tests as the country deals with the virus.
