Philadelphia Phillies: Game postponed due to COVID-19 concerns

The Philadelphia Phillies Monday night game against New York has been officially postponed.

In the first of potentially a handful of axed games, the Philadelphia Phillies matchup with the New York Yankees scheduled for Monday night has been postponed (according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic).

Following the Phillies disastrous game three loss to Miami on Sunday afternoon, reports began to surface that a good chunk of Marlins players had tested positive for COVID-19. Four members of the organization had tested positive prior to the game being played on Sunday, following an additional eight after the game. In total, ten actual players and two coaches all had come down with the virus in a matter of days.

The Marlins were prohibited from flying back to Miami, as they spent the night self-quarantining in Philadelphia. The Phillies on the other hand were in the process of cleaning their entire clubhouse, as they were initially set to play a four game series with the visiting New York Yankees starting Monday night.

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Once news began circulating that 12 members of the Marlins roster had come down with the virus, the MLB opted to hold an “emergency meeting” to discuss what action they should take next. Less than an hour later, and it was officially announced the Phillies and the Yankees would not be playing their series opener.

Jake Arrieta was initially scheduled to make his 2020 debut start against former Phillie lefty J.A. Happ. The Yankees were coming off a series win against the defending World Series champion Washington Nationals, highlighted by a game one thrashing of Nats pitcher Max Scherzer.

The Phillies now become an extremely important focal point to the MLB’s future, as their test results will signify just how well the virus spreads during actual baseball games. If everyone tests negative, we could see the Phillies return to action as soon as Tuesday, if multiple players/personnel test positive, we could see the MLB have advanced discussions about what the next move is going forward.

The Philadelphia Phillies are currently 1-2 following a disappointing series loss to the Miami Marlins, if and when they do return to action, they’ll look to the likes of Arrieta and Zach Eflin to get the team back on track.