Coronavirus

Sam Vercruysse

The worldwide pandemic caused by the coronavirus has rocked the sports world bringing on unprecedented times. Major League Baseball is among the many sports leagues and organizations that have been rocked by the spread of the disease. The NBA was the first league to take action after Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert tested positive for the virus. Almost immediately the NBA stopped their season and suspended it indefinitely. At the beginning of the week the New York Yankees and every other team in Major League baseball began to take precaution as they closed their clubhouses to all media and anyone who wasn’t a coach, player or team official. The reason why the decision by the NBA was a big deal was that almost immediately Major League Baseball took action by cancelling the rest of spring training. The next domino to fall was the decision to suspend the start of the regular season as opening day was fast approaching in the end of March. As of right now the plan by the MLB is to start in May, but there are rumblings of the possibility that the start of the season could be pushed back to as late as early June.

New York City and surrounding areas have been among the hot spots for the spreading of the coronavirus so it has been of great controversy as to whether the Yankees should make the trip back to New York or stay in in Tampa Bay for the time being. As of right now the team remains in Tampa, but it will be hard to keep the team there for much longer. Another bombshell that has come from the coronavirus was that the first confirmed case in the MLB was a Yankees minor leaguer who has remained anonymous. This could raise issues for the entire team as any player, coach or official that has come in contact with this player now has to be tested. With this in mind the Yankees have to balance a potential quarantine with preparation for the eventual beginning of the MLB season.

If there is any silver lining for the Yankees, the delay of the season can be used to get some key pieces healthy. Aaron Judge, James Paxton and Giancarlo Stanton were set to miss time to start the season with injuries. In Judge and Stanton’s cases they were not going to miss significant time so hopefully they can use this time to be ready for the new start of the season. It still remains to be seen what the long term effects of this delay will be and how it will effect the way this season unfolds. The only thing that is clear at this time is that this is a situation that needs to be handled with caution and one that is just beginning. The cancelation of spring training and the delay to the start of the season has the sports world in uncharted waters and has fans and players on edge. Although this seems like a terrible thing, these are the necessary steps to take so that we as a nation can contain the spread of the coronavirus and ensure that the safety of all citizens are put at the forefront. We can only hope that these efforts have a positive effect on containing the spread of the virus so that baseball can return in a swift and safe manner.