MLB cancels spring training, delays Opening Day; Mariners to remain in Peoria
As coronavirus concerns continue to build nationwide, MLB announced Thursday afternoon it will suspend spring training games and delay the beginning of the regular season at least two weeks.
The full release reads as follows:
“Following a call with the 30 Clubs, and after consultation with the Major League Baseball Players Association, Commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr. today announced that MLB has decided to suspend spring training games and to delay the start of the 2020 regular season by at least two weeks due to the national emergency created by the coronavirus pandemic. This action is being taken in the interests of the safety and well-being of our players, Clubs and our millions of loyal fans.
“MLB will continue to evaluate ongoing events leading up to the start of the season. Guidance related to daily operations and workouts will be relayed to Clubs in the coming days. As of 4:00 p.m. (ET) today, forthcoming spring training games have been canceled, and 2020 World Baseball Classic Qualifier games in Tucson, Ariz. have been postponed indefinitely.
“MLB and the clubs have been preparing a variety of contingency plans regarding the 2020 regular season schedule. MLB will announce the effects on the schedule at an appropriate time and will remain flexible as events warrant, with the hope of resuming normal operations as soon as possible.
“Nothing is more important to us than the health and safety of our players, employees and fans. MLB will continue to undertake the precautions and best practices recommended by public health experts. We send our best wishes to all individuals and communities that have been impacted by coronavirus.”
Opening Day was scheduled for March 26 across baseball, and will now be delayed until at least April 9. The league is still planning on playing a full 162-game season at this point.
MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reported Thursday morning that even with the suspension of games, teams and players could remain at their spring training facilities to continue workouts.
Baseball America’s Kyle Glaser reported just before 11 a.m. confirmation from eight teams across the league that have pulled scouts off the road and restricted travel.
The Mariners announced Wednesday that their opening homestand would likely be pushed out of Seattle due to governor Jay Inslee’s ban of gatherings of more than 250 people in three counties around Puget Sound — including King, which is the home to T-Mobile Park.
Seattle chairman John Stanton outlined three possibilities for how the club could play those games — including playing in front of an empty stadium in Seattle, playing at their first two opponents’ home stadiums in Texas and Minnesota, or playing at one of the spring training stadiums in Arizona — but those plans will now also change.
Stanton told reporters Thursday that the Mariners will remain at their complex in Peoria for workouts through the suspension, which lasts until at least April 9. The public will not be allowed to attend the workouts.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “It’s one of these things we can’t control. Obviously we’ve got to do what’s right for our home city, and certainly understand what’s going on and the severity of it. ... Unfortunately right now I don’t think anybody knows exactly what’s going to happen.”
This story was originally published March 12, 2020 at 10:36 AM.
