MLB only had 57 players test positive this season after games started being playedGETTY IMAGES
MLB as of Friday had not had a positive coronavirus test in 46 days, and with the World Series set to begin tomorrow, MLB Medical Dir Dr. Gary Green said the league is "not ready to relax," according to Jason Mastrodonato of the BOSTON HERALD. Green: "I don't want it to be seen that we're overconfident, because we're certainly not. We're holding our breath until the very end. But we are fortunate to have made it this far. We all had a lot of questions whether or not we'd be in this position." He added, "Once we started actually playing games, we only had 57 players test positive. It was really a relatively small number of outbreaks. The problem is even a small number can have a big ripple effect on the sport." Green: "The main thing we learned is that this virus can find any gaps in your defenses. ... We realized that you really have to be, not just 90%, but really almost 100% compliant so that when teams are traveling, the players stay in their seats. ... So the players got the message that any one person can shut this whole season down by making mistakes." Green said another revelation was "we did not have any on-field transmission between teams," adding, "It seems like the safest place they could be was playing" (BOSTON HERALD, 10/16).
COUNTING BLESSINGS: In Chicago, Paul Sullivan wrote, "I suppose we just should be happy that baseball made it this far. Remember back in early August when it looked as if we would never get to the postseason, much less the World Series?" It probably is "as close to perfect as anyone could have asked for and a tribute to the players and staffs for adhering to the protocols" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 10/17).
PLAYING WITH FIRE? In Boston, Peter Abraham wrote MLB "should be applauded for getting through the season as well as it did, given the shaky ground it was on in early August." But allowing crowds of approximately 10,700 at Globe Life Field for the NLCS and World Series "feels like a mistake." COVID-19 cases in Tarrant County, Texas, "are climbing, and having so many people gather, even with social-distancing guidelines, is irresponsible." Abraham: "It's inevitable that positive tests will arise from fans attending the games" (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/18).
TAKE NOTE: In Seattle, Larry Stone wrote he hopes college football and the NFL "learn something from MLB." For baseball, outbreaks on the Marlins and Cardinals "seemed to serve as a wake-up call for everyone to buckle down and take the precautions more seriously." Stone: "It's fair to consider if the Pac-12 and Big Ten, so roundly criticized and even ridiculed for remaining shuttered when other conferences sprang back into action, will be vindicated for their cautious approach" (SEATTLE TIMES, 10/18).
