Worst World Series Celebration Ever: Unchecked

Justin Turner celebrating after testing positive for COVID-19 dampened the Los Angeles Dodgers World Series celebration.

This Los Angeles Dodgers team deserved a World Series. And they deserved to celebrate it. But now the celebration is a bigger story than their win and has essentially overshadowed what they accomplished, at least for the moment.

Here’s an exclusive look at Justin Turner celebrating on the field after testing positive for COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/EvhQqFUw35

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 28, 2020

Personally, I have one question, how was Blake Snell pulled from the game before Justin Turner?

One correction to what I said on @FS1 about Turner timeline. First result, on the test from yesterday, came back in the second inning, not in the afternoon. His test from earlier today was then expedited, and when it came back positive, he was removed from the game.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) October 28, 2020

I would have thought analytics would also say to avoid a potential superspreader event. If you had told me before the Turner news that something from that game would be a bigger story than Kevin Cash and the Rays pulling Snell after he gave up only his second hit, I would have said you were crazier than they were. But then I saw Turner, who tested positive for COVID-19, in a team photo, maskless.

Rob Manfred said Justin Turner was removed from the game in the 7th and “immediately isolated to prevent the spread” of COVID.

So how did this happen? pic.twitter.com/7967tswcpr

— Don Van Natta Jr. (@DVNJr) October 28, 2020

The World Series trophy probably needs to be quarantined for a while because buddy was all up on that thing too.

Justin Turner was out there breathing hot COVID on the Commissioner's Trophy?

— Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) October 28, 2020

And thus, the decision to pull Snell, which is one of the only things I’ve seen a true consensus on in recent times is mostly forgotten.

Blake Snell was pulled in the bottom of the 6th after allowing his second hit of the night. pic.twitter.com/Y4xOIA3x0M

— ESPN (@espn) October 28, 2020

Turner’s return to the field also takes away from his teammates as well. Mookie Betts won’t get quite the recognition he would have otherwise in being the difference for a team that was close to the top for years but finally got over the hump. While Clayton Kershaw, who finally pitched consistently well on the biggest stage, won’t get all his flowers either.

We always hear about sports as a distraction, but Turner, MLB, and the Dodgers actually gave us yet another reminder. Even if they simply wanted to pretend things were normal, just for a brief moment in time.