The New York Mets’ 2020 series against the division rivals Miami Marlins in Puerto Rico has been canceled due to coronavirus-related concerns. The Queens’ squad was slated to take on the Florida club from April 28-30.
According to an official announcement, the series has been canceled and it will not be rescheduled, leaving fans in Puerto Rico without the exciting series for the time being.
A recent COVID-19 outbreak has people worldwide at the edge of their seats. Thousands of people have died because of the disease, and people are being ordered by governments around the planet to isolate in their homes for the time being. MLB spring training was halted and the season likely won’t start until mid May at the earliest, if at all. June and July are much more realistic scenarios.
It was already known that the Puerto Rico series wouldn’t be played in time, but now, the announcement is official and we know that it won’t take place at any other date, as well.
The series was going to be played at the Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan. It would have been the second time in the last three seasons that MLB played at least one game in Puerto Rico, which is the home of dozens of successful major leaguers, including some members of both teams.
The Mets have international history
In fact, playing outside of the United States is something that the New York Mets know very well.
The Mets and the San Diego Padres played, according to SNY, the first international regular-season game back in 1996. They battled in Monterrey, Mexico, back then.
The New York Mets also plated in Tokyo, Japan, in 2000. They played against the Chicago Cubs in the first game played outside of North America. As it turns out, they have quite the history outside of the country.