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The Miami Marlins’ home opener Monday night against Baltimore has been postponed as the Marlins deal with a coronavirus outbreak that stranded them in Philadelphia.
As of Monday morning, 14 players and coaches on the Marlins have tested positive for COVID-19.
Pitcher Jose Urena was scratched from his scheduled start in Sunday’s game, and catcher Jorge Alfaro went on the injured list Friday. No reasons were given for the moves, but manager Don Mattingly said those who tested positive would be quarantined in Philadelphia.
Multiple infectious-disease specialists have called this a “clear outbreak,” according to the Athletic.
The Athletic is reporting that Major League Baseball never considered postponing any games over the weekend, even after multiple members of the Marlins tested positive for the coronavirus
The Philadelphia Phillies, the team that just played the Marlins in a three-game set in Philadelphia, were scheduled to begin a four-game series against the New York Yankees on Monday night. The first game of that series has been canceled.
The games are scheduled to be played in Philadelphia, using the same clubhouse and facility that the Marlins players used over the weekend.
President Donald Trump, who had said Friday, a day after Dr. Anthony Fauci threw out the ceremonial first pitch for the Washington Nationals home opener, that he would throw out the first pitch at a Yankees game in the Bronx on Aug. 15, tweeted on Sunday that he would instead be directing his “strong focus” to “the China Virus, including scheduled meetings on Vaccines, our economy and much else” on that date, a Saturday nearly three weeks away.
The Marlins’ precarious health raised anew doubts about MLB’s ability to finish the abbreviated season during a pandemic. In Cincinnati, Reds second baseman Mike Moustakas and center fielder Nick Senzel felt sick Sunday, a day after a teammate went on the injured list because he had tested positive for COVID-19.
With the future of the MLB season in question, DraftKings DKNG, -7.37% stock dropped 7% and Penn National Gaming PENN, -6.33% is down 6% during Monday’s trading.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
