Miami cancel home opener as virus hits team

Miami - MLB had originally planned to open its 162-game regular season in late March

The Miami Marlins' home opener against the Baltimore Orioles scheduled for later on Monday has been cancelled after a number of players from the Florida-based Major League Baseball club tested positive for Covid-19, according to multiple reports.

The Marlins, who opened their season last Friday with a three-game series in Philadelphia, were originally scheduled to return home after Sunday's game but decided to wait until Monday to travel so they could undergo testing.

According to ESPN eight players and two coaches tested positive after the latest round of testing on Sunday. That comes after four players received positive test results during the team's trip to Philadelphia.

MLB did not immediately respond when asked by Reuters via email to confirm the reports.
After Sunday's game, Marlins manager Don Mattingly said the members of the team who tested positive were quarantined in Philadelphia and that the team's decision to postpone their flight was made with family members in mind.

"We were more comfortable flying as a group later," said Mattingly. "We're talking about these guys travelling back home to their families and their kids, and it's the reason we want to be safe."

MLB had originally planned to open its 162-game regular season in late March but decided to postpone it because of the virus and ultimately opted for a condensed 60-game schedule that kicked off last Thursday.