Philadelphia Phillies and Major League Baseball COVID19 Pandemic Delay Day 16.
A few highlights from Friday’s agreement between MLB and the MLBPA regarding a possible start-up of the 2020 regular season. The two sides agreed that they won’t start unless there are no travel restrictions, medical experts deem no risk to players or fans, and no bans remain on mass gatherings.
However, both sides also want to play a 2020 season at some point. According to ESPN insider Jeff Passan: “…they will consider playing games at neutral sites instead of home ballparks — and will consider the feasibility of playing in empty stadiums and just how proper a solution it may be for both sides and especially fans.”
On what would have been the regularly scheduled Opening Day this past Thursday, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred issued the following statement:
Stay updated on the coronavirus pandemic from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and the NIH (National Institutes of Health. Also, check out the City of Philadelphia Business Activity and Stay at Home Order.
Now for the latest Philadelphia Phillies and Major League Baseball news from local and national resources:
This morning was supposed to be the annual Phillies Charities 5K run and walk down in the sports complex. The event was postponed and the following message has been provided to those who – like me – were signed up to participate:
“We thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to secure a new date and finalize details. We will communicate that information once it becomes available.”
On Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m., NBC Sports Philadelphia will air a replay of the Cole Hamels no-hitter from his final start in a Phillies uniform back on July 25, 2015 at Wrigley Field against the host Chicago Cubs.
Michael Barkann of NBC Sports Philadelphia wrote on missing the game during this cancelled first weekend of what would have been regular season baseball in Miami for the Phillies.
“This year, with fairly little warning, the heartbreak came early. Spring fever actually came with a … real fever.”
Joe Giglio at NJ.com wrote about how the postponement of the season hurts the Phillies as well as both New York teams. Speaking specifically on the case of J.T. Realmuto:
“With transactions now frozen, the Phillies can’t reach an agreement on a long-term deal with the star catcher. It wouldn’t be shocking to now see Realmuto’s agent advise his client to simply play out a shortened season and go to free agency where the rest of the league could bid against the Phillies.”
ESPN senior writer Dave Schoenfeld helped pass the time by researching and publishing a piece on the greatest pitching performance of all-time by each MLB team. For the Phillies, the answer is obviously Roy Halladay‘s 2010 Perfect Game or Doc’s playoff no-hitter that fall.
Hold on a second…no it’s not. Schoenfeld based his result on what is known as the “game score“, which measures a pitcher’s performance in any game started.
By that measure, the greatest performance ever by a Phillies starting pitcher came on October 2, 1965 when 28-year-old future Wall of Fame left-hander Chris Short tossed 15 shutout innings, scattering nine hits and striking out 18 New York Mets batters at Shea Stadium.
Mike Oz for Yahoo Sports interviewed Phillies manager Joe Girardi as part of an ongoing series revolving around old baseball cards. They opened a pack of 1990 Topps and Oz got Girardi’s reaction to some of the players inside:
Fans of Major League Baseball can win $1 million! The catch? You’ll have to wait until after the completion of the 2029 season to find out whether you won or not. Pick the results of various leaders and outcomes during the 2020’s in MLB’s “The Vault” competition at that link.
We’ll be keeping you updated here at Phillies Bell on all the latest in this daily Lunch Bell report. It will include articles curated from around the web as well as any breaking news. During the pandemic we will include any relevant updates in that regard as well.
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MATT VEASEY 