While the Los Angeles Dodgers are finally getting their season underway on Thursday, hosting the San Francisco Giants on Opening Night, it’s no secret that this year is an unusual one.
Not only is the 2020 season shortened to 60 games after a more than four-month layoff due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, but there will also be limited travel and social distancing rules in place to ensure everyone’s safety.
In order to get everyone briefed on the protocols that are in place, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed they had a team meeting to discuss everything. “We actually just had a nice, social distancing meeting in the concourse with training staff, traveling secretary, strength and conditioning, just to go over logistics,” he said Saturday.
“Getting food prepared for us outside the clubhouses, how it’s going to look on the airplane, seating on the buses, all that stuff. That was very insightful for everyone. We’re always trying to learn more as things continue to change. Our organization does a really good job of trying to keep the players informed.”
With not all of the players allowed in the dugout during games to maintain physical distancing, the Dodgers have covered some of the seats next to both the home and visiting dugouts at Dodger Stadium, via Jorge Castillo of the L.A. Times:
The Dodgers covered seats next to both dugouts. Looks like that’s where player overflow will go with social distancing dugout rules in place. pic.twitter.com/76CyeyVvdq
— Jorge Castillo (@jorgecastillo) July 18, 2020
While it will take the players some getting used to, these are the necessary precautions that need to be taken this season to avoid another shutdown.
Justin Turner sees difficulty in curtailing spitting
One other change in place is that players will not be able to spit or high five. Justin Turner believes that will be another difficult change to adjust to.
“That’s going to be tough for everyone. It’s almost second nature. Spitting for a baseball player is like blinking. It’s going to be a tough habit to break,” Turner recently said. “It’s not even just spitting on the ground. A lot of us have routines and habits.
“Maybe you spit a little bit in your glove before a pitch. David Ortiz obviously hit a lot of big home runs, but he’s famous for spitting into his batting gloves before every pitch when he stepped in the box. There’s going to be a lot of adjustments made. It’s going to be a conscious effort for everyone. We’re going to have to do our best.”
The Dodgers have also discussed making a team pact to maintain physical distancing away from the ballpark as well, so it seems they’re doing everything they can to maintain their safety.
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