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Coronavirus Sidelines US Baseball's Miami Marlins

Ken Bredemeier

   WASHINGTON - Major League Baseballlast weekopened its sharply curtailed
   seasonnearlyfour months late because of the coronavirus pandemic.Nowone
   team, the Miami Marlins, has been hit with an outbreak of infections.

   The Marlins played a three-game weekend series in the eastern city of
   Philadelphiabut canceled its Monday night home opener inMiamiagainst
   the Baltimore Orioles when eight more players and two coaches tested
   positive for the coronavirus.

   The new infections brought the total on the Marlins team to least 14 in
   recent days. The team stayed in Philadelphia Sunday night as it weighed
   health precautions.

   In addition, the Phillies, the Philadelphia team that played the
   Marlins, called off their Monday night game at home against the New
   York Yankees.

   Major League Baseball cut its normal 162-game regular season schedule
   to 60 games and started the seasonwithempty stadiums in hopes of
   averting a widespread health disaster. Some reserve players have been
   sitting in thestands togive their teammates ample room to socially
   distance in thedugouts.

   Even so, several star players have contracted the coronavirus,
   including Freddie Freeman of the Atlanta Braves and Juan Soto of the
   Washington Nationals, the 2019 World Series champions.

   Some coaches, players and on-field umpires have been wearing facemasks
   during the opening games.The Toronto Blue Jayswerebanned by Canadian
   authorities from playing at its home field. The Canadian government
   balked at allowingU.S.-based teams from repeatedly crossing the border
   when it has already blocked U.S. tourists from entering the country.

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