The Mets’ new era will have to wait a bit to get started. Thursday night’s scheduled opener in Washington was postponed because of positive coronavirus tests on the Nationals, MLB announced. The game was not rescheduled for Friday’s designated off day either.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the game will not be made up on Friday,” the league said in a statement that pinned the postponement on “ongoing contact tracing involving members of the Nationals organization.”
A Nationals player tested positive on Wednesday, knocking out four other players due to contact tracing. Another Washington player may have tested positive on Thursday.
The episode underscored the importance of rapidly getting all players and staff vaccinated. If 85% of a team’s players and “tier 1? staff get the vaccine, players would not have to quarantine after a close contact, and they would be tested less often.
Mets manager Luis Rojas said the organization did not push players to be vaccinated. “It’s a voluntary decision for them,” Rojas said. “Nobody is trying to influence what decision they’re going to make about it. We know that’s pretty open there for them, as it is for the population. We’ll have a headcount or something at some point, but I know a survey was sent so we know how many guys are going to do it.”
Rojas said that players were able to fill out a survey privately so the team could figure out how many players will be vaccinated.
The Cardinals became the first team to hit the 85% threshold on Wednesday.
“To be honest, it’s not a surprise,” Rojas said. “We’ve been in situations like this since last year. The health is the number one thing still in the world. We’re taking care of ourselves, everyone is carrying their mask everywhere and we’re doing everything we need to do to make sure that we’re protecting each other. But we know that this is something that can happen.”
The Mets did not have any COVID-positve cases and the game could be played as early as Saturday, but nothing was set in stone.
“We’re pretty optimistic that we’re going to play Saturday,” Rojas added. Assuming a Saturday game, the Mets were still awaiting word from MLB whether the game would start at 1 or 4 p.m.
Jacob deGrom was scheduled to face off against Max Scherzer in a nationally televised game on Thursday night, the first game after the Mets extended Francisco Lindor and officially announced themselves as a financial juggernaut.
“We had done so well in spring training, everyone across the game,” Scherzer said after the news of the first case broke on Wednesday. “We had seen so few positive cases across spring training as a whole. It just shows how quickly that can turn.”
It’s not clear how exactly MLB plans to make up the opener, but the early weeks of the season typically have a couple extra off days baked in for weather postponements, even before COVID.
MLB also brought back 2020’s seven-inning doubleheaders; if the Nationals were cleared to play by Saturday, the teams could play three games in two days, or just make up the third game later in the season.
JAKE STILL ON TRACK FOR OPENING DAY
DeGrom was the first person Rojas called on Thursday morning when he learned the Mets’ game against the Nationals was postponed. He was set to make his third straight Opening Day start for the Mets, and he’s still on track to do that, whenever the team receives clearance for a start day.
“Jake, he’s pretty calm about it,” Rojas said. The Mets ace threw a touch-and-feel Thursday afternoon to keep his arm loose.
If the Mets open the season on Saturday, deGrom would be lined up to pitch their home opener at Citi Field on Thursday, April 8 on normal, five days of rest.
PITCHING RESHUFFLE
Initially, the Mets told deGrom he’d pitch the fifth game of the year (Tuesday in Philly) thanks to a scheduled off-day Friday. But the delay in getting started altered the club’s pitching plans. Rojas already revealed deGrom, Marcus Stroman and David Peterson would pitch the first three games of the season. Beyond that, the team’s plans were still uncertain, but should be announced on Saturday.
Rojas said several relievers threw bullpen sessions on Thursday so the staff can stay fresh and ready for the season. Closer Edwin Diaz was the only one who asked to face live hitters, because he enjoys the competitiveness of the at-bats.
“I think we’re in a good position, still,” Rojas said. “We’re going to get to do a little two-inning sim game where guys are going to get some live reads. Tomorrow we’re going to practice. The guys are ready to go, there’s no concern about where we’re going to be at shape-wise Saturday. Knock on wood, we get to open the season that day. We’ll be ready.”
