The Coronavirus has Struck the Miami Marlins
The Miami Marlins have been struck by the current worldwide pandemic. 14 members of the Marlins organization have tested positive for COVID-19, according to cbssports.com. Some of the players that have tested positive include, pitcher Jose Urena, first baseman Garrett Cooper, outfielder Harold Ramirez, and catcher Jore Alfaro.
The Marlins posted on Twitter the following statement from CEO and first-ballot Hall of Famer Derek Jeter, “The health of our players and staff has been and will continue to be our primary focus as we navigate through these uncharted times. After a successful Spring 2.0, we have now experienced challenges once we went on the road and left Miami. Postponing tonight’s home opener was the correct decision to ensure we take a collective pause and try to properly grasp the totality of this situation. We have conducted another round of testing for our players and staff, and our team will all remain in Philadelphia pending the results of those tests, which we expect later today. We will provide additional information as soon as it becomes available.”
The Marlins took two of three games from the Phillies over the weekend. Opening Day saw the Marlins start Sandy Alcantara who threw 6 and 2/3 innings, while striking out 7. He did surrender two runs, but only one of them was earned. First baseman Jesús Aguilar hit a two-run home run off Philadelphia starter Aaron Nola in the 6th inning. The Marlins dropped the second game of the series but did take the third, 11-6. Aguilar crushed another homer and shortstop Miguel Rojas went 3-4 with a homer and 4 RBIs. Rojas is batting .700 to start the 2020 campaign. Yes, the Marlins started hot but given the positive tests, this news will arguably hurt the team throughout the coming weeks and months.
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Since the Marlins are stuck, in “The City of Brotherly Love,” the Monday night game vs. the Baltimore Orioles has been canceled. This news affects other teams as well, the Yankees and Phillies had to cancel tonight’s game. Members of the Phillies organization will now have take extra precautions, given any exposure, despite not having much contact. The Orioles currently do not know if they will be able to play their series vs. the Marlins. How will this affect the rest of the league? Only time will tell.
