All-Star Game called off for first time since 1945
LOS ANGELES » Dodger Stadium’s 40-year wait to host the All-Star Game is going to last even longer.
The game scheduled for July 14 was canceled Friday because of the coronavirus pandemic, and Dodger Stadium was awarded the 2022 Midsummer Classic. The 2021 game is set for Atlanta’s Truist Park, home to the Braves since 2017.
“Once it became clear we were unable to hold this year’s All-Star festivities, we wanted to award the Dodgers with the next available All-Star Game, which is 2022,” baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.
This year will be the first time since 1945 that no game is held. Travel restrictions because of World War II kept the game scheduled for Boston’s Fenway Park and any player
selections from taking place that year.
31 players, 7 staff test positive
NEW YORK » Thirty-one Major League Baseball players and seven staff members tested positive for COVID-19 during intake for the resumption of training, a rate of 1.2%.
MLB and the players’ association announced the results Friday as teams resumed workouts for the first time since the coronavirus interrupted spring training on March 12.
The positive tests occurred among 19 of the 30 teams, according to results of the samples sent to the Sports Medicine Research and Testing Laboratory in South Jordan, Utah. There were 3,185 samples collected and tested through the first week of intake testing.
Players who test positive are not identified. Cleveland outfielder Delino DeShields Jr. gave the Indians permission to say he tested positive. The Phillies put infielder Scott Kingery and pitchers Hector Neris, Ranger Suarez and Tommy Hunter on the 10-day IL with no specified injuries on Thursday.
Rays’ Snell puts comments behind
ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. » Tampa Bay Rays ace Blake Snell reported for work, after all.
The 27-year-old Snell made headlines in May when he said he opposed the idea of players taking further pay reductions to start the season during a pandemic — that it was not worth the health risk. But he said Friday it wasn’t difficult to start playing again after the players’ agreement with Major League Baseball included their full pro-rated salaries.
“I would say it wasn’t tough when it came down to what the (union) agreed on,” he said.
Snell said most of what he said in May was “correct.” Said if he were to apologize for anything, it would be the way he began his comments by declaring he had to get his money to play.
“The only thing about it that I didn’t like with what I said was just ‘I’ve gotta get mine.’ That was pretty bad,” he said.
Chisox’s Kopech misses camp start
The Chicago White Sox plan to give Michael Kopech whatever he needs to deal with a personal matter.
Kopech was excused from team activities, and general manager Rick Hahn said he doesn’t have a timeline for the return of one of baseball’s top pitching prospects.
“Given the time we’re living through together I will try to answer the question that’s probably now at the top of everybody’s mind and just share the fact that currently Michael is healthy,” Hahn said on a video conference call.