Hard lesson learned: Marlins can’t afford any more mistakes
BALTIMORE
Marlins players made their way to the field at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in groups Tuesday like they would to get ready for any other game.
But there were some small yet noticeable differences to their pregame setup.
The sheer amount of new faces was a start. Seventeen, to be exact. They were officially added to the active roster about two hours before first pitch to replace players who tested positive for COVID-19 over an eightday span starting hours before the Marlins’ season opener against the Philadelphia Phillies on July 24 that temporarily paused the Marlins’ season for a week. They went to the field in waves with their respective position groups.
The relievers trotted to left field first, like usual, and spent 30-plus minutes playing catch and warming up their arms while pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. watched along. They practiced in waves, limiting the amount of players out in the area at any given time.
Monte Harrison, one of those 17 new faces, then stepped out of the dugout beyond the third-base line with outfielders coach Billy Hatcher. Both wore masks as they went to center field, where Harrison started running sprints back toward the third-base line. About 90 minutes from that moment, he would make his MLB debut in
The Marlins resumed their season Tuesday against the Baltimore Orioles, but only after more than half of their Opening Day roster tested positive for COVID-19 and the team had to wait eight days between games.