NEW YORK _ The Yankees were hit with the news that Friday night's Subway Series game would be postponed just minutes after being swept by the Rays at Yankee Stadium. The Mets scheduled game in Miami Thursday night was postponed after two members of the Mets' traveling party tested positive for COVID-19.
"One of the unfortunate things about the season is that, unfortunately, these things are possible," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "Hopefully it's not something that spreads and becomes too serious." The Yankees were scheduled to begin a three-game series with the Mets at Citi Field Friday night. As of 5:20 p.m. on Thursday, Boone said they had no idea if they would play this weekend.
"I'm sure they're trying to get their arms around it," Boone said of the Mets and MLB. "We'll see where we go from here, but you know, we'll just have to see."
This is not the first abrupt schedule change the Yankees have had to make because of COVID-19. The Yankees' second series of the season in Philadelphia was postponed when the Phillies were exposed to a Marlins team that ended up having 19 members of its traveling party test positive during the opening weekend series in Citizens Bank Park. They Yankees turned around and went to Baltimore, which was scheduled to host the Marlins, and squeezed in a two-game series while the Phillies and Marlins quarantined.
"I mean, it's difficult. And as we've said, 2020 is like no other year and we know what we've signed up for," Boone said. "We knew that, at times, there's going to be challenges. Obviously, we've already faced our own challenges with a couple of cancellations and doubleheaders. Other teams have obviously had it significantly worse with with actual outbreaks and things."
The Yankees had three players test positive for COVID-19 since baseball resumed after a nearly-four month shut down due to the pandemic. DJ LeMahieu and Luis Cessa tested positive before reporting to summer training camp and were held at their home until they had clear tests. Aroldis Chapman tested positive the first week of summer training camp and just returned to the active roster. The Yankees were the first team with a confirmed COVID-19 case back in March when two minor-league players tested positive right when baseball shut down.
Since the season fully opened its' pandemic-shortened, 60-game season on July 24, there has only been one day when there was not at least one postponement because of the coronavirus.
