Zack Britton, a pitcher for the New York Yankees, told MLB Network radio that the MLB and the MLBPA have discussed hosting games at “four or five” neutral sites to begin the season.
Doing this could ultimately lead the season to begin sooner. The COVID-19 outbreak is worse in different parts of the country, and teams located where it’s still worse could play neutrally. This likely includes both the Yankees and the Mets.
New York governor Andrew Cuomo reported on Thursday that over 92,000 New Yorkers have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Over 45,000 of those cases are in New York City alone.
If New York State and City continue to have the most cases in the country, then I don’t foresee any major sports being played in New York in the near future.
The neutral sites would be selected based on which cities have the lowest COVID-19 numbers. It’s too early to tell which ones could be suitable to host, but trends show that many cities should be safe enough in a few months to host games, at least without fans.
I don’t care if the Yankees or Mets play at a neutral site to start the season, or even if they play without fans. What we need to see is some baseball, but when it’s safe to do so. Keep social distancing and keep washing your hands. You do your part and hope others do theirs. Trust your government to lead you through this, whether it’s your local, state, or national. We can get through this, and hopefully, everything will be back to normal soon.
Stay safe, ESM Nation!