New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Saturday that the Yankees and Mets would train in the state if Major League Baseball attempts to start its coronavirus-delayed season.
The teams confirmed the decision of Cuomo, who said he’d like to stop by to see the teams on the field.
“I think New York now is especially attractive, compared to the other states, because we have such a low transmission rate, and this is a state that is ready, willing and able to partner with sports teams so that they can play,” Cuomo said in a conference call.
The Yankees initially planned to venture to their spring training complex in Tampa, Fla., however the Sunshine State has seen a recent rise in positive tests for the coronavirus.
The Mets were undecided between New York and their training camp in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Now, they’ll train at Citi Field while the Yankees will be at Yankee Stadium.
“As New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced this afternoon, the New York Yankees will hold a potential spring training resumption at Yankee Stadium,” the Yankees said in a statement. “We will continue to follow Major League Baseball’s guidelines and protocols, and we will vigilantly work with Governor Cuomo, Mayor (Bill) de Blasio and their health authorities, as well as with federal officials and Major League Baseball’s own medical and infectious disease experts, to ensure our facility maintains the best possible safety standards.
“The health and safety of our players, staff and employees, and of their respectively families, will always be our top priority.”
Cuomo said he really liked the idea of the local teams training in New York.
“To have spring training in New York, that is a really great development,” Cuomo said. “It’s where I think they should always be, obviously. But in a bleak time, and in a season that obviously has had significant hurdles to deal with, to have a spring training quick camp in New York, that is the first bit of really good news when it comes to baseball that we’ve had in a long time.”
With coronavirus infections climbing in Florida and Arizona, Major League Baseball is closing all spring training sites to have them undergo thorough cleaning, multiple media outlets reported late Friday night.
Earlier Friday, the Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays and San Francisco Giants shut down their training facilities due to positive tests for the coronavirus, and the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels announced that players had contracted COVID-19.
The spread of the virus at baseball facilities coincides with statewide spikes in both Florida and Arizona.
–Field Level Media