PHILADELPHIA, PA – JULY 19: A general view of Citizens Bank Park during the summer camp exhibition game between the Baltimore Orioles and Philadelphia Phillies on July 19, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
What to Know
- The Phillies have cancelled all activity at their ballpark, Citizens Bank Park, after two more staffers tested positive for coronavirus.
- The Phillies played the Miami Marlins last weekend. That team has had a major COVID-19 outbreak, with as many as 18 players testing positive.
- Three Phillies staff have now tested positive for coronavirus. No Phillies players have tested positive, the team said.
Two more Phillies staff members tested positive for coronavirus Wednesday, and all activity at the Phillies' ballpark has been canceled "until further notice," the team said in a brief statement Thursday.
One staff member who tested positive Wednesday is a member of the coaching staff. The other is a member of the home clubhouse staff.
That brings the total number of positive cases for the Phillies staff to three. Over the weekend, a staff member who works in the visiting team's clubhouse tested positive, a Phillies spokeswoman said,
No players have tested positive so far, the Phillies said in the Thursday statement.
The coronavirus outbreak, which started with cases at the Miami Marlins, has threatened not only the shortened Major League Baseball season, but pro sports in general. Baseball was among the first major sports to return to play.
Some pro players are opting not to play this season; a list maintained by USA Today includes players from baseball, football, basketball, women's basketball, soccer and hockey.
The Phillies hosted the Marlins for three games last weekend. Since then, as many as 18 Marlins have reportedly tested positive for COVID-19, forcing the cancellation or change of MLB games scheduled for the Marlins, the Phillies and the Yankees.
The Marlins' season is now "on pause," and it's not clear when the Phillies will play again.
Philadelphia's top health official, Dr. Thomas Farley, said Thursday that the city had consulted with both the Phillies and the Marlins and that officials "feel like the cluster is contained." He said the teams would continue to manage the additional COVID-19 cases.
The Phillies had been scheduled to host Toronto this weekend; that series is now postponed. The Blue Jays have been displaced from their home ballpark because the Canadian government didn’t want players traveling in and out of the country.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
