Coronavirus: Yankees stay in Florida with eyes on MLB World Series
- The New York Yankees voted unanimously to remain in Florida and hold informal workouts as they look to stay prepared for the season.
![Britton-cropped](data:image/svg+xml,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 800 450"></svg>)
MLB players are free to leave spring training camps after the season was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the New York Yankees are staying together as they target World Series glory once the campaign gets underway.
The start of the MLB season has been delayed by at least two weeks as part of measures introduced in response to the spread of coronavirus – all 30 teams were scheduled to begin their campaigns on March 26.
Spring training games were also cancelled on Thursday before the MLB and MLB Players Association (MLBPA) met on Friday and announced players were free to leave their camps in Florida and Arizona amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
Statement from the New York Yankees: pic.twitter.com/zPj565nJb9
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) March 13, 2020
The Yankees, however, voted unanimously to remain in Florida and hold informal workouts as they look to stay prepared for the season.
"We have a shot at a World Series title," Yankees pitcher Zack Britton told MLB.com. "We want to be prepared to seize that opportunity. Guys aren't panicking about this thing.
"We understand that it's serious, but the Yankees have a ton of resources in the area. We feel like this is a good place for us to be."
Britton added: "It's going to be pretty much whatever guys want to do right now. Obviously hitters will keep hitting during BP and stuff like that. As of right now, we don't have any intra-squad or sim games.
"It's going be very similar to an offseason program where pitchers are playing catch in bullpens, hitters hit in the cage and take BP on the field. They're still hashing out an organised schedule so that we're not just doing whatever."
Coronavirus has disrupted sport across the globe after more than 5,000 deaths due to COVID-19 – almost 50 casualties in the United States.
Published 14 Mar 2020, 07:14 IST