The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic had a huge impact on the 2020 MLB season, with the second half of Spring Training being cancelled and the regular season getting pushed back until late July.
While MLB was able to crown a champion, it didn’t come without some roadblocks. Multiple teams experienced outbreaks and fans were unable to attend games for most of the year. Now that the calendar has turned to 2021, there is hope the upcoming season will have some semblance of normalcy.
That will likely depend on the widespread availability and acceptance of a vaccine, which has begun to roll out on an emergency basis. For the time being, coronavirus cases continue to surge across the country and particularly in Southern California.
Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tommy John is currently on the mend after a lengthy battle with the illness, via Joe Reedy of the Associated Press:
Tommy John has been battling COVID-19 for at least three weeks, but the former pitching great disputes reports that he is a coronavirus denier. “I’m not a denier. I’ve had it, baby,” John said during a telephone interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday.
John said he has had a bout of pneumonia and did receive oxygen, but is not presently on oxygen. He said the biggest side effect at the moment is he has no strength in his legs. As far as some of the other symptoms associated with COVID-19, such as loss of taste or smell, John said he didn’t experience those. “I feel good. The only thing right now is trying to arrange for someone to do physical therapy from my home,” he said.
John, now 77, contracted the virus in mid November following a trip to Nashville. He remains hospitalized but appears to be on the mend.
John spent six of his 26 big league seasons with the Dodgers, accumulating an 87-42 record and posting a 2.97 ERA in 182 games (174 starts). He finished second in National League Cy Young Award voting after winning 20 games and pitching to a 2.78 ERA.
Price promotes safety to curb pandemic
David Price recently took to Twitter to promote safety and remind others to wear a mask out of concern matters may only continue to get worse. After opting out of the 2020 season, all indications point to him pitching for the Dodgers this year.
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