Nationals Fail Coronavirus 101 In First Series Against Yankees

WASHINGTON, DC — The Washington Nationals kicked off Major League Baseball’s 60-game experiment this weekend and the players failed in their first test. Players hugged each other after a home run, were seen spitting while at bat and neglected to practice social distancing in the dugout.

Prior to the season, health experts instructed teams to keep their players apart from each other as much as possible to avoid the spread of the coronavirus. Contact in baseball is far more limited than in other sports. And players, using common sense, can easily avoid contact when it does not involve sliding into a base or getting tagged out.

But like so many Americans, players are ignoring the health experts. After he hit a home run Sunday, Nats shortstop Trea Turner hugged catcher Kurt Suzuki in the dugout. The players were likely caught up in the moment, but hugging is certainly on MLB's list of prohibited practices, especially given the number of league players who are testing positive for the coronavirus.

In an at-bat against the Yankees, Nats outfielder Victor Robles could be seen by the camera spraying saliva — mixed with who knows what else — when he spit in the area of home plate as he prepared to hit against a Yankees pitcher. Nationals newcomer at second base, veteran Starlin Castro, also was caught by the camera spitting during an at-bat on Sunday. Imagine how often they are continuing their tradition of spitting that is not getting caught on camera.

After their win against the Yankees Saturday night, the Nats players appeared to regain some understanding of the situation when they decided to bump hips instead of shake each other's hands in the post-game tradition of greeting their teammates after a victory.

In another example of good coronavirus practice, Chicago Cubs star Anthony Rizzo pulled out hand sanitizer from his pocket on opening day to offer to a Milwaukee Brewer who had singled in the third inning. More of these types of practices need to be followed, even if Rizzo's offer of hand sanitizer was meant to be amusing.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser signed a mayor's order Friday requiring District residents to self-quarantine when they return home after traveling to high-risk areas. These include places around the U.S. where the number of coronavirus cases are increasing. The order went into effect on Monday. However, the Nationals and MLB are exempt from the order.

The Nationals are already without star outfielder Juan Soto, who tested positive to the coronavirus prior to last Thursday’s season opener against the Yankees. The organization has said Soto was asymptomatic and that other tests have come back negative since the positive test result. Soto is expected to miss at least the next two games against the Toronto Blue Jays as he goes through MLB’s COVID-19 protocol.

Elsewhere in baseball, the Miami Marlins' home opener against the Baltimore Orioles set for Monday has been canceled due to a number of Marlins players and staff testing positive for the coronavirus.

According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, eight players and two coaches have tested positive for the coronavirus, bringing the total cases on the team to at least 14. This is the first game to be canceled this season.

The New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies will not play their Monday night game as scheduled. The game's status had been an open question since Monday morning, when the Miami Marlins were confirmed to have a coronavirus outbreak on their roster. The Phillies played the Marlins over the weekend.

In most games across MLB this weekend, only coaches were seen wearing face masks. Players, even those riding the bench for that day’s game, could be seen without face masks inside dugouts when they weren't playing.

Many people were amazed that baseball was able to play any games this year. As the experiment continues, players and organizations will need to follow basic common sense to stand any chance of making the shortened season work.

With the growing number of cases, though, many baseball observers are predicting MLB will be canceling the 60-game experiment less than 10 games into the season.

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This article originally appeared on the Washington DC Patch