Detroit Tigers leading the charge on paying park workers during postponed MLB season
Detroit Tigers CEO Christopher Ilitch pledges to support part-time event employees and minor league players while the coronavirus pandemic postpones the season.
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MLB players’ union has been discussing a handful of potential neutral stadiums that could host baseball games to restart the 2020 season, New York Yankees pitcher Zack Britton said Wednesday.
Britton told MLB Network Radio that about five sites have been talked about in meetings about potentially getting the season back up and running. The season was suspended and Opening Day was delayed because of the coronavirus outbreak.
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“I know there's sites that have already been discussed -- I'm not sure if I should even say this publicly -- but there's four or five sites that are up in the air that MLB and the union have slightly discussed that these are spots that have the resources, facilities, hotels that could host a major-league team if we get to that point,” Britton said in the interview.
He didn’t specify which cities would be prime hosting spots. Sites like Yankee Stadium, Citi Field and T-Mobile Park, Fenway Park, AT&T Park, Dodger Stadium and Angel Stadium may be ruled out because of how the virus has affected those cities and states over the last several weeks.
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“If we have to do that in empty stadiums for the safety of the public then that's the right move,” Britton said. “Obviously I think we could possibly be a team that needs to play in a neutral site for a little while since New York's been a hotbed for this and guys are open to that.”
Britton acknowledged that specifics regarding scheduling hasn’t been the main issue.
“The big thing to us is using the month of October to play regular-season games and seeing where we are with expanded playoffs after that,” he said. “When it comes down to scheduling we'll have those talks pretty soon, but at the end of the day it doesn't matter until we get this virus under control and cities and people are able to go back to everyday life, let alone going to watch baseball.”
Los Angeles Angels pitcher Andrew Heaney told reporters during a conference call Tuesday that the union has discussed playing in front of empty ballparks to start the season – whenever that may be.
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“Baseball really shows why it’s the national pastime in situations similar to this, in difficult times,” he said. “To me, that’s when the sport of baseball flexes its muscles,” Heaney said, according to the Los Angeles Times. “I think that’s something that, as players, we understand that too.”
Fox News’ Paulina Dedai contributed to this report.
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