Coronavirus

The Giants have announced that the exhibition game scheduled against the A's for Tuesday, March 24th will not be played in San Francisco at Oracle Park. It is likely the teams will stay in Arizona and play the Bay Bridge Series games there.

San Francisco mayor London Breed has announced recommendations to halt the spread of COVID-19. They include cancelling or postponing all "non-essential" large (over 1000 people) gatherings.

The KBO has already postponed the season openers, so has the NPB. Washington Governor Jay Inslee has issued a statewide ban on large gatherings which includes the Seattle Mariners and their opening series at T-Mobile Park. So far MLB has not made any general announcements about the schedule but teams are taking steps such as limiting clubhouse access and cancelling fan events. Here's the official statement from MLB.

We'll see how this unfolds. Stay safe out there, my friends!

--M.C.


update: the River Cats have cancelled the exhibition against the Giants in Sacramento that was scheduled for March 22nd. I also learned that the Giants AAA team's home field is now called Sutter Health Park. It was Raley Field for its first twenty years. The River Cats became a Giants affiliate in 2015, taking over for the A's who moved their AAA affiliation to the Nashville Sounds. The A's are now back in the west with the Las Vegas Aviators.

update two: the NCAA announced that its post-season basketball tournaments (aka March Madness) will be played with only "essential staff and limited family attendance."

update three: the President suspends all travel from Europe for 30 days. I suppose this means it is not a hoax anymore but a real health threat. Anyway, the UK is exempted. And so are cargo ships and flights--just a passenger ban.




***You might want to read this post by DrBGiantsFan who blogs at "When the Giants Come to Town." He's a doctor in real life and has a detailed and thoughtful take on the COVID-19 situation.