Just five days into its shortened campaign, the MLB season appears to be in danger amid an outbreak of the coronavirus on the Miami Marlins, which has already led to two games being called off Monday.
At least 14 people, including 10 players, have tested positive for the COVID-19 disease in recent days, leading to the team to scrap its home opener against the Baltimore Orioles, according to ESPN. The Marlins, who knew of four positive tests on Sunday, played in Philadelphia against the Phillies. That has led to the Phillies’ game against the Yankees to be postponed, since the Yankees would be using the same visiting clubhouse that the Marlins used over the weekend.
The MLB season finally got underway last Thursday and drew the best regular-season crowd in nine years. A potential outbreak on one team — the standard procedure for anyone in contact with a known positive is to quarantine for 14 days — threatens what was already a tenuous proposition.
The NBA is set to resume the remainder of its season from its Orlando bubble environment on Thursday. The WNBA tipped off its season this past weekend. The NHL has planned its own return to the ice from two bubble environments in Canada for Aug. 1.