Albuquerque Journal

Angels’ Trout squeamish about playing

Cleveland is considerin­g dropping Indians nickname

-

His N-95 mask squarely in place, Mike Trout stroked line drives, streaked around the bases and caught fly balls at Angel Stadium. The sport’s biggest star then let something drop — he’s not “comfortabl­e” in this COVID-19 environmen­t and isn’t sure he’ll play this season.

At Citi Field, Mets two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom ran sprints by himself in shallow right field, then grabbed his personal bag of baseballs to throw off a bullpen mound. At Camden Yards, Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde watched practice from the stands behind the dugout. “It’s weird,” Reds star Joey Votto said. At Nationals Park, Max Scherzer limbered up with 65 pitches as the World Series champion Washington Nationals got back to work at 7:45 a.m. High in the press box, it was possible to hear players talking on the field about the virus.

No doubt, those sentiments echoed all around the majors.

Baseball tried to take another step forward Friday in a most uncertain setting, with players on the field at their empty home ballparks for the first team workouts since exhibition games ended March 12.

A few players were missing: San Diego outfielder Tommy Pham, Cleveland outfielder Delino DeShields Jr. and Texas reliever Brett Martin are among those who have tested positive for the virus.

“I’m sure they have fears and are dealing with the change, the protocol, the testing. All of that is different,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “But when we got out on the field and started working, it felt a lot like the beginning of spring training.”

It was a very strange scene in Miami.

While the team worked out on the new artificial turf, there was a long line of cars outside Marlins Park because it’s a testing site for the coronaviru­s, and cases have been surging in South Florida.

Major League Baseball announced 31 players and seven staff members tested positive for COVID-19 during intake for the resumption of training, a rate of 1.2%. The positive tests occurred among 19 of the 30 teams.

Opening day for the delayed, shortened 60-game season is July 23. Major League Baseball said the All-Star Game, scheduled for July 14 at Dodger Stadium, has been canceled.

At Comerica Park in Detroit, the effects of virus precaution­s were evident.

“There’s X’s in the dugout where we can and can’t stand. You have to come down to the field one way and back off the field another way,” Tigers pitcher Michael Fulmer said. “It’s going to definitely take some getting used to, but as long as we’re playing baseball, I can follow about anything.”

Trout, the three-time AL MVP, wants to wait a bit.

The Los Angeles Angels outfielder and his wife, Jessica, are expecting the couple’s first child in August.

“Honestly, I still don’t feel that comfortabl­e,” the 28-year-old star said.

“If I test positive, I talked to doctors and they said I couldn’t see the baby for 14 days or Jess can’t see the baby for 14 days if she’s positive, we’re going to be upset,” he said.

Mets catcher Wilson Ramos could sympathize.

“It’s hard right now to be here,” Ramos said, thinking of his wife and children in Florida. “But at the same time, I’m very happy to be here doing what we love to do.”

The Mets worked out in three separate shifts during the day. Music played softly over the stadium sound system as hitters took their cuts. Mini cones spaced well apart marked sections of grass for separated stretching and calistheni­cs.

Phillies star Bryce Harper had his own crowd. His pregnant wife and their 10-month-old son accompanie­d him to Philadelph­ia.

“The last three days, understand­ing what we’re going to do on the field, understand­ing that we do have to wear masks wherever we go, those are things you have to get used to and respect the people around you … I feel safe right now,” Harper said.

INDIANS: They’ve been known as the Cleveland Indians since 1915. Those days could be over.

Amid new pressure sparked by a national movement to correct racial wrongdoing­s, the Indians said Friday night they will review their long-debated nickname that has been in place for 105 years.

“We are committed to making a positive impact in our community and embrace our responsibi­lity to advance social justice and equality,” the team said in a statement that came just hours after the NFL’s Washington Redskins announced a similar move. “Our organizati­on fully recognizes our team name is among the most visible ways in which we connect with the community.”

The move mirrors the one made by the Redskins, who are embarking on a “thorough review” of their name, which has been deemed as offensive by Native American groups for decades.

There have been previous efforts to get the Indians to rename themselves. But following the death of George Floyd in Minnesota and other examples of police brutality against Black people in the U.S., there has been a major move nationwide to eradicate racially insensitiv­e material.

In 2018, the Indians removed the contentiou­s Chief Wahoo logo from their game jerseys and caps. The grinning, red-faced mascot, however, is still present on merchandis­e that can be purchased at Progressiv­e Field and other team shops in Northeast Ohio.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States