Pirates, Marlins may avoid Puerto Rico games
MIAMI — There’s a very good chance the Miami Marlins’ two-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Puerto Rico will not be held there because of concerns about the Zika virus.
A person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the teams said no decision had been made.
Marlins players attended a seminar on Zika that heightened concerns about playing the games in San Juan on May 30-31, team player representative Tom Koehler said.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave a presentation on the disease to the Marlins and representatives of Major League Baseball.
“The information was more shocking to both sides,” Koehler said. “Maybe shocking isn’t the correct word, but there was a lot more information and data and numbers thrown our way that we didn’t have.”
Marlins players voted on whether to play the games as scheduled, said Koehler. He declined to share the result but said there’s a lot of concern within the clubhouse about playing in Puerto Rico.
Pirates player rep Gerrit Cole said his understanding is MLB and MLBPA met Monday, and there was no consensus by the Pirates or Marlins players on whether to play or not.
