Despite the growing number of COVID-19 cases around the Major League Baseball world, some are expecting to have fans in attendance this season.
It might sound a bit absurd on the surface, but that list now includes the Boston Red Sox’ brass.
Red Sox President Sam Kennedy suggests fans will be in attendance at Fenway Park
“If it were to become a reality it would be because of the great work that the state of Massachusetts and the city of Boston have done,” Kennedy said, via the Boston Herald. “Charlie Baker and Karyn Polito and Marty Walsh and Kathryn Burton and all of their teams — they’ve been under fire and under the gun day in and day out for four months,” Kennedy said, via the Boston Herald. “But if you look at the data and the numbers would suggest all of their work and the great work of people who live around Boston and New England is starting to pay off as the data is improving in our region.”
When looking specifically at Massachusetts and the Boston region, it could make sense. The state has seen a steady decline in COVID-19 cases over the past three weeks.
MLB teams in other states might not be so lucky. Despite the growing amount of cases in multiple states, teams are anticipating having fans in attendance once the 2020 MLB season starts in less than a month.
Miami Marlins expect to host games with fans
This seems a bit off given that Florida has seen multiple days with record COVID-19 cases over the past week. It’s currently one of the epicenters of the pandemic around the world.
Meanwhile, the Chicago White Sox are also expecting to have fans in attendance at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Given that the United States recorded a single-day high number of cases on Wednesday, this could be a pie in the sky mentality from numerous big-time officials around the baseball world.
Though, it must be noted that none of these individuals are talking about full capacity. We’re likely looking at 20 to 30 percent of fans being allowed in games, if it happens at all.
The 2020 MLB season is expected to start on July 23 with a nationally televised doubleheader that will more than likely feature the New York Yankees.