Major League Baseball Postpones Opening Series Over COVID Concerns

Fans Return To Parks Across The Nation On Baseball's Opening Day

Major League Baseball announced that the season-opening series between the Washington Nationals and the New York Mets has been postponed due to COVID-19.

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said that four players have tested positive for the coronavirus, and five other players are in quarantine after contact tracing identified them as close contacts. One of the players had a fever, while the other three have not displayed any symptoms.

"For the most part, the whole team has been -- we put them -- in lockdown, and they're self-quarantining," Rizzo said.

Rizzo said he would not identify the players who have tested positive.

Officials postponed the season opener scheduled on Thursday (April 1) due to the positive tests. The three games will be made up throughout the season.

The Mets are now scheduled to begin their season on Monday when they travel to Philadelphia to play the Phillies. They will stay in Washington, D.C. for two days before heading to Philadelphia.

"To be honest, it wasn't a surprise. We've been in situations like this since last year," Mets manager Luis Rojas said on Thursday. "The health is the number one thing still in the world. We're taking care of ourselves. Everyone's taking their mask everywhere. We're doing everything we need to do."

The Nationals are hoping they can start their season on Monday as well when they are scheduled to host the Atlanta Braves.

"We are planning to play Monday," Rizzo said. "That's our plan. This is a day-by-day thing."

Photo: Getty Images


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