Efforts to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus have officially impacted Major League Baseball.
Today’s announcement by the Governor of Washington will mean that the Mariners cannot open their season for fans in Seattle, which has been among the hardest hit US cities by coronavirus:
The health and well-being of Washingtonians during the COVID-19 outbreak remains our top priority.
Starting today, we will prohibit events of more than 250 people in King, Snohomish and Pierce Counties to slow the spread of this virus. pic.twitter.com/U1wOf0paIW
— Governor Jay Inslee (@GovInslee) March 11, 2020
The ban on large gatherings is currently set for the rest of March, which would impact the Mariners’ first two series of the year (Rangers, Twins). It’s possible the ban could be extended further, though, as circumstances warrant.
Now MLB will be tasked with determining the best approach, which may very well depend on how other cities and states proceed with the regular season looming. If this impacts only the Mariners, then it’s possible they and the Rangers will simply open their season in Arizona, where they are currently training. They could play at the Mariners’ Spring Training ballpark. As for the Twins, they could do the same, or perhaps they could shift those games to Minnesota.
I expect we will hear from MLB very soon. I’m sure playing in empty stadiums is far from the league’s preference, but if enough states and cities follow what Washington and San Francisco have done, there may be no choice.