Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred shared the news that baseball fans were fearing on Monday, revealing that the sport’s Opening Day will not take place until mid-May at the earliest in the midst of the current global coronavirus pandemic.
Manfred, following new containment guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control, which state that public gatherings of more than 50 people are to be avoided for the next eight weeks, established in a conference call with team owners that the start of the season is going to be significantly delayed.
The news was then confirmed to fans and journalists in a press release published by the league shortly thereafter.
The coronavirus outbreak is currently growing in the United States, with around 3,500 confirmed cases in 49 states.
One of the keys that government agencies are stressing to American citizens is to avoid large crowds and public get-togethers, which can be the perfect situation for a virus to rapidly spread.
So, for now, Major League Baseball must simply wait and see how the pandemic evolves. The league recognizes that an abbreviated Spring Training will have to precede Opening Day, which could set the season’s beginning back even farther.
