Baseball season suspended for at least two weeks due to coronavirus

Just a quick reminder to everyone that the lack of gamethread today isn’t due to some MLB decision to suspend spring training or the regular season; it’s a pre-scheduled off-day for the team.

HOWEVER, other leagues beyond the NBA (last night) today have decided to suspend their seasons (MLS), cancel postseason tournaments (some NCAA conferences) or pull in referees (NHL) or scouts (MLB) off the road.

And then came the big news, around 12:10 CT, that baseball was in fact following suit and suspending games indefinitely due to the coronavirus.

Games are being played today, with the understanding that intense speculation and pressure would force the season to be suspended, as soon as this weekend. But the decision was made today to immediately attend to the risks inherent in fan gathering, travel, and the contact inherent in baseball by suspending the season.

There is an official conference call among teams scheduled for 2 p.m. CT, presumably to confirm the suspension of play.

However, we’ll update as more details are known. Stay safe, everybody.

The conference call yielded a few basics:

Essentially, the rest of the spring schedule is postponed, making the earliest possible Opening Day on April 9.

Specifically appropriate to White Sox home games, however, Governor Pritzker is said to be favoring no events until May 1. Pritzker has a press conference scheduled for 5 p.m. CT.