The final game of a two-game series between the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies was postponed on Tuesday as the teams and league awaited the results of COVID-19 tests of Phillies personnel.
The Phillies played a weekend series against the Miami Marlins, a team with an outbreak of the coronavirus.
The Marlins announced Monday that they were canceling the team’s home opener after 12 players and two coaches tested positive for the coronavirus. On Tuesday, four more players tested positive, according to the Atlantic, bringing the total number to 16.
The outbreak is raising concerns about whether Major League Baseball will be able to continue and conclude its abbreviated season, which just began July 23.
“This could put it in danger,” White House coronavirus task force member Anthony Fauci told ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Tuesday. “I don’t believe they need to stop, but we just need to follow this and see what happens with other teams on a day-to-day basis.”
The Yankees and Phillies were scheduled to play a home-and-home series this week, with the teams playing in Philadelphia on Monday and Tuesday before going north to New York for games on Wednesday and Thursday. The Yankees reportedly have already returned to New York on Tuesday.