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Phillies-Blue Jays Series Postponed After Two Philadelphia Staffers Test Positive for COVID-19
The upcoming weekend series between the Phillies and Blue Jays have been postponed after two Philadelphia staff members tested positive for COVID-19.
Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoya shared the news with reporters Thursday afternoon shortly after the Phillies canceled team activities earlier in the day.
Three Phillies employees have tested positive for the virus this week but no players have. A coach and a home clubhouse attendant's tests came back positive on Thursday, while a visiting clubhouse attendant tested positive earlier in the week.
"All activity at Citizens Bank Park has been canceled today and until further notice," the Phillies said in a statement early Thursday afternoon.
The postponed games come amid a disastrous week in Major League Baseball where over a dozen Marlins players tested positive for COVID-19 following their weekend series in Philadelphia. The Phillies have been in isolation since then and were scheduled to resume play on Saturday with a doubleheader against the Blue Jays.
MLB has run into a slate of scheduling issues this week with the stream of positive tests. The Yankees had a pair of games against Philadelphia postponed and instead traveled to Baltimore for a two-day series on Wednesday and Thursday. The Orioles previously were scheduled to play the Marlins, whose season is on hold until at least Monday.
In response to MLB's scheduling chaos, the MLB Players Association reportedly asked players to consider a rules change regarding doubleheaders in 2020. The MLBPA's proposal would include either one 9-inning and one 7-inning game in a doubleheader, or alternatively a pair of 7-inning games. There could also be an extension for the period in which teams use the current 30-man roster, which was supposed to decline to 28 players after two weeks and then to 26 men two weeks after that.
