NEW YORK _ The Subway Series had been derailed. After two members of the Mets' traveling party tested positive for COVID-19 in Miami on Thursday, MLB has now canceled all three games between the Yankees and Mets at Citi Field "out of an abundance of caution."
The Yankees and Mets are scheduled to play again next weekend in the Bronx. They also have a common day off on Monday.
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 the Marlins, who ended up having 19 members of their 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 got a two-game series while the Phillies and Marlins quarantined.
Thursday Aaron Boone said this was what they had to expect when MLB and the players decided to try to play an abbreviated season in the middle of a pandemic.
"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 actual outbreaks and things."
The Yankees haven't been untouched by COVID-19 either.
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.
