Mariners adapting to health and safety protocols as baseball finds its ‘new normal’
There will be a lot of changes for Seattle Mariners players to adapt to at T-Mobile Park this summer.
Temperature checks before they even park their cars. Regular COVID-19 testing at the ballpark. Mandatory masks in the clubhouse. Social distancing during team meetings.
For more than 100 pages, the health and safety protocols outlined for players by Major League Baseball goes on.
Washing or sanitizing hands between half innings. No high-fives. No sunflower seeds. Absolutely no spitting.
It’s a lot to get used to, Mariners first baseman Evan White said following Friday’s first full team workout of summer camp. The oddest protocols presenting early challenges?
“The whole no-spitting thing and licking the fingers,” White said. “Playing first base, I want to be able to have a good grip on the ball if I have to throw it anywhere. That’s something I’ve done for my entire baseball career, so that’s definitely going to take some getting used to.
“When we first got on the field the other day, I walked across to go do my early work in the cage, and to step on a field and to not spit was a challenge, for sure.”
This is the new normal for players — making conscious adjustments to baseball habits that have been so second nature until now.
“I’m not sure how long that new normal will last, but for the foreseeable future, I think that’s where it’s going to be at,” White said. “It’s going to take some getting used to. I know all of us are on the same page. … I think it’s on us to hold each other accountable as well.”
Much of the Mariners’ — and baseball’s — success this season will hinge on navigating these new health and safety procedures.
“It’s interesting,” Mariners starter Marco Gonzales said after throwing a bullpen session Friday. “We have a lot of guidelines to follow, a lot of protocols. It’s for everyone’s safety, and trying to work that into your routine I think will be the challenge. Trying to make those little protocols normal, that will give us our best chance to have success in this camp and in this season.”
The differences in daily workouts aren’t impossible challenges, Gonzales said, but will take time to feel normal.
“I think we’re all capable of following all of the protocols,” he said. “There’s just differences in there where you need to take a second to analyze — you’re wearing a mask, you’re social distancing. I think there’s just going to be times throughout the day where we need to take a second and remember what we’re doing and why we’re doing it.
“I think that’s probably the hardest part because we’re just so used to putting our heads down and going through our day. Taking that second to take a step back and make sure you’re being safe, and slowing things down when we have a short camp, I think that’s going to be tough as well.”
Mariners manager Scott Servais said the players need to embrace the “uncomfortable” changes in routine.
“You have to be OK with the new norm,” he said. “You’ve got to accept it. You’ve got to own it going in. It gives you a chance, gives you a better mindset to handle it as you get frustrated.
“I waited for 15 minutes today to get through the line to get my temperature taken before I even got out of my car. I want to get to the ballpark, I want to get my cup of coffee, I want to get into the day, and it’s just like, slow down. We’ve got to do the right thing here, and that is going to be the new norm.”
Both Servais and Gonzales noted the importance of how players behave during workouts as well as away from T-Mobile Park. Some Mariners will stay at a local hotel, some are in apartments or houses, and others, like Gonzales, reside in the Seattle area during the offseason.
“The players’ diligence away from the field will really dictate the success of not only this camp, but the 2020 season,” Gonzales said. “I think we have definitely spoken amongst ourselves about responsibility, about how important it is to be safe and responsible away from the field.
“Certainly for us, we have a lot of friends and family in this area, so it’s difficult. We have a lot of people that are in our lives on a daily basis that unfortunately we have to be smart about seeing them or we can’t even see them. It’s going to be a challenge, but the sacrifice we have to make for this season is worth it.”
