Opening Day for the Mets is now officially opening delay.
Their season-opening weekend series at the Nationals was postponed due to the Nationals’ COVID-19 problems, MLB announced Friday afternoon.
The Mets will now open their season Monday night at the Philadelphia Phillies.
Here is the official press release announcing the postponement:
Major League Baseball announced today that the remainder of this weekend’s series between the host Washington Nationals and the New York Mets at Nationals Park, which includes games scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, has been postponed due to continued follow-up testing and contact tracing involving members of the Nationals organization. Major League Baseball will continue to provide scheduling updates as available.
On Thursday, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said the team had at at least three and perhaps four players test positive for COVID-19.
“I think this virus is a deadly virus, and we’re trying to do everything we can to protect our players and their families and our staff and the fans and the citizens of the DMV,” Rizzo said on Thursday night. “I think to err on the side of caution is the right thing to do.”
The Mets were scheduled to open their 2021 season Thursday night against the Nationals. Hours before first pitch, the game was postponed because of coronavirus concerns.
The New York Post’s Joel Sherman reports “the Mets’ current plan is to stay and work out in DC and likely bus to Philadelphia on Sunday. But plans are still being finalized.”
