Texas Rangers’ season-opener at Seattle relocating after governor bans large gatherings
The Texas Rangers season-opening series against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park will be relocated after Washington governor Jay Inslee announced a ban on gatherings of more than 250 people aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus known as COVID-19.
Inslee’s ban is aimed at sporting events, concerts and other large public gatherings in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties through at least the end of March.
The Mariners are scheduled to open the season with seven games at T-Mobile Park, formerly known as SafeCo Field.
As of Wednesday morning, Washington has been the hardest hit state by the virus, with at least 24 confirmed deaths and 268 presumptive cases.
The Rangers are scheduled to open the season with a four-game set in Seattle beginning March 26. Major League Baseball is expected to announce contingency plans soon. The Rangers released a statement saying they’ll work with the league and the Mariners on the “relocation” of the series.
The games could be played without fans or moved to another location not affected as much by the virus. One option would be in Peoria, Arizona, where the Mariners share a spring training complex with the San Diego Padres.
More than 115 public and private schools across the state closed for at least a day because of COVID-19 concerns, according to The Seattle Times.
Inslee recently declared a state of emergency. He was joined by the mayors of Seattle, Everett and Tacoma and executives for surrounding counties during Wednesday’s press conference.
Major sports leagues have taken steps this week to protect their athletes, including the MLB, NBA, NHL and MLS restricting locker rooms and clubhouses to essential personnel only.
In an effort to contain the spread of the disease, the Golden State Warriors have announced fans will not be allowed to attend Thursday’s home game against the Brooklyn Nets. The Warriors will become the first major professional team in the United States to play a home game without fans due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Last Friday, a Division III men’s basketball tournament game was played in an empty gym in Baltimore.
The Ivy League canceled its basketball tournaments out of caution for the virus earlier this week. The SXSW festival in Austin was canceled last week by the city because of virus concerns.
This story was originally published March 11, 2020 at 12:44 PM.
