MLB will not cancel games due to the Coronavirus

Baseball (Jay Schyler Raadt, Wikimedia Commons)

According to Joseph Zucker of the Bleacher Report, Major League Baseball will not be cancelling games due to the Coronavirus. So far, numerous sporting events throughout the globe have been cancelled or postponed due to the outbreak.

Major League Baseball officials are encouraging players not to take pens from fans in order to sign autographs due to the possibility that germs could spread. Officials are also encouraging all teams to purchase certain supplies in order to clean the clubhouse and training room. It is a little ironic that for a game that has been known for players getting dirty along the base paths, infield and outfield, that all of a sudden there is an emphasis on cleanliness.

According to the New York Times, the Coronavirus has spread to the Seattle region where nine people have passed away. There are now 115 cases of the Coronavirus in the American states of Washington, Oregon, California, Utah, Arizona, Nebraska, Texas, Wisconsin, Illinois, Georgia, Florida, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, New York and Massachusetts. Of the 30 Major League Baseball teams, 18 are located in the aforementioned states. There has also been 20 cases of the Coronavirus in the Canadian province of Ontario where the Toronto Blue Jays call home. According to worldometers.info, there have been 3168 deaths attributed to the Coronavirus since January 22. China has had the most deaths with 2945.

Of the sporting events that have been postponed so far include the 2020 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Seoul, Serie A soccer games in Italy, the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai, and the Rugby Union Six Nations game between Ireland and Italy. Among the sporting events that have been cancelled are the FINA Diving World Series in Beijing and the Paris Half Marathon.