Mariners Will Reportedly Not Play Their First Two 2020 Home Series in Seattle Amid Coronavirus Concerns
By Michael Luciano
The coronavirus scare sweeping the nation is finally starting to cause the MLB to make changes to their schedule in the name of public health.
Washington governor Jay Inslee has placed a temporary ban on large gatherings of people in public places (over 250 people) to prevent anyone who is unknowingly infected with coronavirus from passing along the disease. This means that the Mariners' first two series of the year, against the Texas Rangers and Minnesota Twins, respectively, will not be played at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.
Hear that the #Mariners are not going to play their first 2 series at home by governor decree. MLB. Working on scenarios to relocate
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) March 11, 2020
Washington is the state that has been hit the hardest by the virus, as there have been 279 reported cases (California is second with 178) and 24 deaths (California has three) as a result of this infection.
MLB is trying to find a place to temporarily relocate the Mariners to so that the games can be played rather than postponed. One potential candidate is Arizona, either at Chase Field, or the Mariners' Spring Training complex.
#Mariners open the year with home series against #Rangers and #Twins. MLB will try to locate. Governor of Wash expected to make announcement today about ban of gatherings that large in Washington state
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) March 11, 2020
Fear over the spread of coronavirus currently has all major American sports in a state of complete panic, as there is no roadmap for how to deal with a situation like this. Relocating so that the games can be played on-time seems like the most likely alternative the league will implement.