Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Coronavirus catching concern
As Marlins deal with COVID-19 outbreak, are backstops more susceptible?
On its surface, it seems like an ideal incubator for COVID-19 — three people in close proximity continuously breathing hard and yelling throughout a three-hour game.
As Major League Baseball and professional sports return after their pandemic breaks, social distancing is a key element for the leagues to safely operate, since coronavirus cases are still surging across the country. But what happens when some positions can’t allow for social distance?
Thus is the dilemma for catchers, who spend half the game in the batter’s box within a few feet of opposing batters and an umpire.
While MLB instituted a variety of new safety rules, such as a ban on spitting, the close quarters could make it easier to pick up the virus, as well as spread it.
“What you’ve got there is a hitter and an umpire, each of them doing different things,” said microbiologist Dr. Dean Hart, who spent 25 years as an Associate Research Scientist and Assistant Professor at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
“An umpire yelling at the top of their voice, ‘Strike!’ That is going to project COVID if the umpire is carrying it. Then the catcher in it’s unique position. When [batters are] gathering up their energy to swing at a baseball, they’re exhaling hard. If one of [the batters] is
positive, you could get the right angle for a hitter — whether you hit or miss, you’re exhaling hard. That’s the proper environment to catch it.”
Less than a week into the regular season, coronavirus concerns have been amplified as MLB ideals with a outbreak after at least 17 players on the Miami Marlins reportedly have tested positive. While it’s uncertain what led to the outbreak, MLB canceled the rest of the team’s games through at least Sunday.
Marlins catcher Jorge Alfaro is one of the players who reportedly tested positive for COVID-19 early on, making him one of at least four catchers across the league believed to have tested positive. Kansas City Royals catchers Salvador Perez, Cam Gallagher and Nick Dini have all missed time due to COVID-19. In addition, Atlanta Braves catchers Tyler Flowers and
Travis d’Arnoud were held out with coronavirus symptoms, but neither has tested positive.
Per MLB policy, teams are not required to disclose names of players who have tested positive COVID-19, making it difficult to accurately identify trends throughout the league. While catchers seem to be more at risk, Hart said there’s not a large enough sample size to confirm that assertion yet.
For Chris Magno, who served
as the starting catcher for the University of Miami’s 1985 national championship team, he said he wouldn’t be overly concerned if he was playing.
“You’re still outside, so the air is circulating,” Magno said. “I don’t know if I’d be worrying about it.
“You never really think about that stuff or never did. You’re close enough to kind of look in the [batter’s] eyes and take a peek at what he’s looking at and you give your signals and you don’t really think about germs coming in from a person’s mouth. You certainly don’t think about what’s behind you, which is the umpire. They’ll put your hand on your back, but they’re basically breathing into the back of your helmet, so you don’t really feel like that’s getting to you.”
While Magno said wearing a cloth mask, in addition to the rest of the catcher’s gear, might be a hindrance considering the heat and physical exertion that occurs in the roughly 90 minutes to two hours behind the plate, he said there could be other less intrusive measures that could help.
“[You could] rig something up where you’re not wearing a mask inside the [catcher’s] mask, but you’re wearing a plexiglass shield over your nose and mouth instead of over your eyes,” Magno said. “You can put the sunglasses shield, like an Oakley shield if the sun’s coming in from center. I’ve had those before. If you had that over your mouth and nose, that might help a little bit.
“But at the end of the day, if I’m 25 years old, out playing in the open air, I’m probably not worrying about it too much.”
Part of the overall issue for MLB is the lack of a “bubble environment,” which the NBA and NHL are both using to some degree for the remainder of their seasons. Although MLB players are being tested at least every other day, baseball players are more susceptible to catching coronavirus, with teams traveling across the country together and staying at hotels at the different sites.
Dr. Rand McClain, a sports medicine expert who treats professional athletes and serves as the Chief Medical Officer of LCR Health, said the lack of a confined bubble created additional risk and leaves things open to chance.
“The catcher is technically more at risk, but he really shouldn’t be that much more at risk because of all the [testing] protocols set up so that everyone who enters into the league should be disease free, but we’re finding out that’s not the case,” McClain said.
“I think it’s pretty well known, most transmission occurs at home. Dad or Mom has to come home from work every day.
“If they bring it home, then the family’s screwed, and that’s the way it has to be looked at with Major League Baseball. Someone doesn’t execute, somebody breaks the rules — ‘It’s just a half hour guys; let’s get a quick drink down the street.’ That’s where it goes wrong, and then anyone’s at risk.”