Related
Before the Phillies gathered in South Philadelphia earlier this month, several members of the organization tested positive for COVID-19.
Since that time, there have been no known positive cases of coronavirus among the players, and general manager Matt Klentak was thrilled with how vigilant his players have been to make sure they stay safe with the season finally starting on Friday.
“I have been so impressed by the discipline and the dedication of our players and our staff the last three weeks at summer camp," said Klentak. “These guys have taken it incredibly seriously. Fortunately, as a by product of that, we have not had any additional cases the past few weeks.”
Everyone dealing with COVID-19 guidelines knows about the risks involved and the precautions needed to be taken.
A positive test in baseball could also set a team back for weeks, depending on who is sidelined as well as the possibility of the virus spreading across the locker room.
Manager Joe Girardi continues to remind his players to keep their focus on the guidelines in place.
“I think it reminds us how fragile and how careful you have to be," Girardi said. "As we have reminded our players and reminded the players that we even sent to Lehigh Valley, you can’t let your guard down for a minute.”
Baseball players still have a lot of challenges ahead.
Washington's Juan Soto tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday and missed the team's season opener against the Yankees. There will also be the challenge later in the season of plane trips and hotels.
While the Phillies will be able to get on a bus for many of their road trips, Klentak knows eventually they will be in planes as well as hotels regardless of how they arrive in other cities.
"That will likely present a new challenge for everybody," said Klentak. "But I think if everybody handles it with the same level of discipline that they’ve handled the last three weeks, I’m pretty confident that this is going to work.”
The talk of the dangers involved will likely remain throughout the season, but players as well as fans are quite happy to see the season finally getting underway. The Phillies will be playing in a very competitive National League East, and Girardi says they will keep their focus on the prize they hope will be awaiting them at the end of September.
“Our goal is to win the division," Girardi said. "I mean, that’s our goal. If you do that, you’re going to be in the top three seeds, and that’s our goal. It really hasn’t changed.”