As the positive COVID-19 tests rack up across Major League Baseball, the main in charge is doubling down on his belief that the season will continue. Over the last few days, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has doubled down on the league’s return to action, saying that he is sure the season will reach the playoffs, while also passing the buck in saying that “the players need to be better” in order to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
Speaking to ESPN’s Karl Ravech on Saturday, Manfred said that he is not a “quitter,” and that the league will adapt to the positive results:
Comissioner Rob Manfred tells me “We are playing. The players need to be better, but I am not a quitter in general and there is no reason to quit now. We have had to be fluid, but it is manageable.”
— Karl Ravech (@karlravechespn) August 1, 2020
Also on Saturday, the commissioner doubled down in talking to the Associated Press, saying that there’s no reason to think that the season won’t reach the playoffs and World Series:
I think that if everybody does what they are supposed to do, we can continue to play, have a credible season and get through the postseason.
So far, there have been 19 postponements in the 11 days that baseball has been back, and the Miami Marlins have seen a whopping 18 players test positive since the restart. The St. Louis Cardinals have also had at least four positive tests in that same timeframe. Most recently, Boston Red Sox pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez announced that he will miss the rest of the season due to heart inflammation caused by coronavirus.
Manfred still is fervent in his belief that the virus would be contained if players would just follow the guidelines laid out by the league, though:
The protocols are a series of little things that people need to do. We’ve had some problems. In order to be better, it’s another series of little things. I think it’s peer pressure. I think it’s players taking personal responsibility.
The league has already adapted some of its rules to help its chances of finishing the season; doubleheaders will now feature two seven-inning games, while the league is considering keeping the team roster count at 30 during this abbreviated season.
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Read the full story at the Associated Press
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