Yanks-Nats, GiantsDodgers open season
NEW YORK» Mookie Betts, Gerrit Cole and a pair of high-profile matchups are set for opening day as Major League Baseball begins its shortened 60-game season on July 23 in ballparks without fans amid the coronavirus pandemic.
MLB released the schedule Monday, and it starts with two games. Cole and the New York Yankees visit the World Series champion Washington Nationals at 5:08 p.m., then Betts and his new Los Angeles Dodgers teammates host the San Francisco Giants at 8:08 p.m.
There are 14 games on July 24, including the first matchup at new Globe Life Field in Texas when the Rangers take on Colorado. The same day, Anthony Rendon and the Los Angeles Angels visit Oakland and the Cincinnati Reds host Detroit.
The season ends Sept. 27, with all 30 teams starting their games at 1 p.m. to possibly make for a final-day playoff scramble. Most games this season, however, are at night.
Teams will play 40 games against their division opponents. The other 20 will be interleague games, including six against a natural opponent, taking on clubs in their corresponding geographic region — East vs. East, for example.
Games planned for London, Mexico City and Puerto Rico have been canceled. Among the schedule highlights:
— The St. Louis Cardinals take on the Chicago White Sox next to the “Field of Dreams” cornfield outside Dyersville, Iowa, on Aug. 13.
— Jackie Robinson Day, usually celebrated on April 15, will be held Aug. 28 — that’s the date the Rev. Martin Luther King led the March on Washington in 1963, and also the date Brooklyn Dodgers owner Branch Rickey talked to Robinson in 1945 about a future in the majors.
— Roberto Clemente Day will be held Sept. 9.
— The 100th anniversary of the Negro Leagues will be celebrated on Aug. 16.
— Oakland pitcher Mike Fiers will get his first look at his former Houston teammates Aug. 7 at the empty Coliseum. Fiers blew the whistle on the Astros’ sign-stealing scam, which dominated baseball talk last winter.
Nationals, Astros cancel workouts over virus testing delays. WASHINGTON»Baseball’s two World Series teams canceled workouts Monday because of coronavirus testing delays that one executive worried could endanger the season.
The defending champion Washington Nationals and reigning AL champion Houston Astros each called off training camp practices after not receiving test results from Friday. The cancellations come amid delays around MLB, with some players opting out, and in the aftermath of Nationals reliever Sean Doolittle criticizing slow test results and a lack of some personal protective equipment.
“Without accurate and timely testing, it is simply not safe for us to continue with summer camp,” Washington general manager Mike Rizzo said. “Major League Baseball needs to work quickly to resolve issues with their process and their lab. Otherwise, summer camp and the 2020 season are at risk.”
MLB said in a statement that 95% of its intake testing had been completed and that the Utah laboratory it’s using had reported 98% of results, a majority of those a day after samples were collected. MLB said it addressed delays caused by the holiday weekend and doesn’t expect them to continue.
Braves “ultimate pro” Markakis opts out of season. ATLANTA» Atlanta Braves outfielder Nick Markakis opted out of the 2020 season on Monday due to increased concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.
Markakis is the second Atlanta veteran in two days to announce plans to sit out the 60game season. He follows right-hander Félix Hernández, the former Cy Young winner with Seattle who was competing for a rotation spot before opting out on Sunday.
The 36-year-old Markakis said Monday he was uneasy about playing the season without fans and then was swayed by his telephone conversation with teammate Freddie Freeman, who tested positive for COVID-19 and has fever and other symptoms.
“Just hearing him, the way he sounded on the phone, it was tough,” Markakis said. “It was kind of eye-opening. What everything that’s going on, not just with baseball but all over the world, it makes you open your eyes.”