Sports
Dr. Fauci Says MLB Shouldn’t Play Games into October Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
Alex Brandon/Associated PressWhile Major League Baseball owners and players fight over if and when the league will start the 2020 season, Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, believes it would be unwise to play into October amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “If the question is time, I…
Alex Brandon/Associated Press
While Major League Baseball owners and players fight over if and when the league will start the 2020 season, Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, believes it would be unwise to play into October amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“If the question is time, I would try to keep it in the core summer months and end it not with the way we play the World Series, until the end of October when it's cold,” Fauci said Tuesday, per Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. “I would avoid that.”
Shaikin noted MLB Deputy Commissioner Dan Halem expressed concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic in a letter he wrote to union negotiator Bruce Meyer on Monday, saying outbreaks in various states have “increased the risks associated with commencing spring training in the next few weeks.”
Halem also said the league's television partners prefer the postseason in October, while the owners do not want to push the playoffs into November.
“Even in warm weather, like in Arizona and California, we're starting to see resurgences as we open up,” Fauci said. “But I think the chances of there being less of an issue in the end of July and all of August and September are much, much better than if you go into October.”
Fauci also said baseball does not need a bubble system like the NBA's plan to have 22 teams in a campus-like environment in Orlando, Florida, but stressed how important it is for players and their families to continue practicing social distancing and wearing masks.
For now, health concerns amid a worldwide pandemic have taken a backseat in baseball discussions since the owners and players cannot settle other issues.
On Monday, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred told ESPN's Mike Greenberg he is “not confident” there will even be a season even though he had previously suggested there is a “100 percent” chance the 2020 campaign will happen.
Shaikin noted the league informed its players it will not implement a season unless players agree not to explore legal options such as filing a grievance. Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich of The Athletic reported “the commissioner's office is loathe to impose a season on players against their will when the Players Association likely would counter such a move by filing a claim for financial damages.”
Players have been fighting for full prorated salaries, which the owners initially agreed to in March, while owners have looked toward a shorter season and moved away from the idea of fully prorated salaries in subsequent proposals.
Major League Baseball Players Association Executive Director Tony Clark released a statement Monday saying players are “disgusted” Manfred threatened to cancel the season, which he called “another bad faith tactic in their ongoing campaign.”
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