Yankees-Phillies game in Philadelphia postponed after Marlins COVID-19 outbreak

Major League Baseball announced that Monday’s scheduled game between the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees has been postponed after a coronavirus outbreak was reported among the Phillies’ previous opponent, the Miami Marlins.

The announcement comes as the less-than-week-old MLB season has already been thrown into disarray as the league tries to proceed amid the coronavirus pandemic that has gripped the nation.

The Marlins on Monday announced that they were canceling the team’s home opener after 12 players and two coaches tested positive for the coronavirus. 

The Marlins were slated to play their home opener Monday night against the Baltimore Orioles after having spent the weekend in Philadelphia for a three-game series against the Phillies.

“Tonight’s scheduled games between the Miami Marlins and the Baltimore Orioles at Marlins Park and the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees at Citizen Bank Park have been postponed while Major League Baseball conducts additional COVID-19 testing,” MLB said in a statement.

“The members of the Marlins’ traveling party are self-quarantining in place while awaiting the outcome of those results. Major League Baseball has been coordinating with the Major League Baseball Players Association; the Marlins; the Orioles; the Marlins weekend opponent, the Phillies; and Club medical staffs, and will continue to provide updates as appropriate,” the league added.

The Marlins will remain in Philadelphia as more players get tested.

The outbreak originally began with four players testing positive, including the team’s scheduled starting pitcher on Sunday, Jose Urena.

The Yankees and Phillies were scheduled to play a home-and-home series this week, with the teams playing in Philadelphia on Monday and Tuesday before going north to New York for games on Wednesday and Thursday. It is not known when the series will resume.

Major League Baseball and the players association announced Friday that of the 10,939 samples collected and tested in the past week of league personnel, six tests had come back positive for COVID-19, or a rate of 0.05 percent. Of the positive tests, four were players and two were nonplayer personnel.

The league launched its shortened 60-game season just last Thursday.