Opening Day was supposed to occur on Thursday, and with that original date creeping closer, Aaron Boone is portraying his disappointment.
The coronavirus pandemic has essentially forced the sports world to come to a screeching halt. Events are succumbing to cancelations, postponements, and suspensions, one of which is Major League Baseball’s Opening Day.
The commencement of the regular-season slate was to occur this Thursday afternoon. Now, it’s unclear when it’ll start. Officials hope the season begins in mid-May but some believe that June or July is more realistic.
It’s a sad and tough situation, and as the original start date nears, the disappointment grows for New York Yankees skipper Aaron Boone.
“The bummer in realizing what is eventually coming up on Thursday is that we are aware we were just two weeks away when the plug got pulled,” Boone said this week, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post. “In my little selfish bubble, you think about all that goes into getting to that point of spring training. It is close to go time. It is frustrating that it ends. You do all of that offseason work that goes into spring training and to get to the two-week mark, you can feel how close [Opening Day is].
“Professionally, it is disappointing and frustrating. But I also feel I always have perspective on things. I know this is bigger than me and baseball. I will do my part and want the world to get back to its rightful place.”
The schedule had the Yankees facing the division-rival Orioles on the road to begin the 2020 campaign. Gerrit Cole was slated to take the mound against a Baltimore squad that won just 54 games last year and finished in last place in the American League East.
New York was on a quest to punch its ticket to the World Series for the first time since 2009. But thanks to this worldwide pandemic, that’s all in question at this point.
