Following the Miami Marlins outbreak this weekend, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo wants baseball to continue safely in his state.
With Major League Baseball reeling after an outbreak within the Miami Marlins organization, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has offered the league a playing field with the correct safety protocols in the Empire State. In his daily coronavirus briefings, Cuomo extended the invitation to any franchise, saying that New York “has the capacity” and that “[he would] love to see a robust baseball season.”
In just a few months, Florida has gone from being one of the least affected states, to setting records daily of new positive coronavirus cases, outpacing some countries for that matter. On the flip side, New York, once the epicenter for the virus back in April, joins New Jersey and Connecticut has the three states with the lowest infection rates right now.
Despite playing in Philadelphia, multiple Miami Marlins players and personnel tested positive for the coronavirus, thus possibly spreading the virus to players on the Phillies (although no players have tested positive as of Tuesday afternoon). This potential outbreak prompted commissioner Rob Manfred to put the Marlins in quarantine, thus canceling their series against the Orioles through Tuesday.
It remains to be seen how the Marlins situation unfolds, but if any other MLB team were to encounter similar issues, Cuomo has offered up that safe haven. Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone has joined Cuomo, extending an invitation for teams to play at Bethpage Ballpark where the Long Island Ducks of the ALPB play.
A lot would have to be ironed out for anything to come to fruition, but it’s a proud statement made by Andrew Cuomo to welcome any MLB team to his state in the midst of a pandemic, especially after the tough months for the state in the spring.
