MLB uniform producers to use baseball jersey fabric for producing medical masks and gowns

The outbreak of coronavirus in USA has seen the upcoming season of Major League Baseball postponed as a precautionary measure to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. The MLB season was postponed until April 9 due to the outbreak of coronavirus in USA and it could be extended up to Memorial Day if recent reports are to be believed. Fanatics, a company which makes the uniforms for MLB has suspended normal production to make masks and gowns for hospitals in Pennsylvania and nearby states. 

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Coronavirus in USA: MLB uniform makers use jersey fabric to make masks amidst coronavirus pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic has hit the USA at large and Fanatics, the producer of MLB uniforms has chipped in to help. Their 360,000-square-foot facility in Easton, Pennsylvania has been turned into a facility to produce masks and gowns amidst the massive shortage of protective equipment in the fight against coronavirus pandemic. The company developed a prototype using the MLB uniform fabric and it was passed by the state’s emergency agency and by Tuesday, the company suspended production of all baseball jerseys. Michael Rubin, the founder and executive chairman of Fanatics started fashioning masks and gowns on Tuesday and hoped to produce nearly 15,000 masks and gowns a day. 

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Coronavirus in USA: Fanatics and MLB team up to provide masks free of cost

Michael Rubin, speaking to Associated Press said that he had the blessings of MLB commissioner Rob Manfred to stop the production of baseball kits. He said that Manfred agreed to the idea of using the fabric to prepare masks and the production of MLB uniforms worth $300 were stopped. The Fanatics are making Level 1 masks, used for low-risk, nonsurgical procedures that are for single-use only. 

St. Luke’s Hospital in Bethlehem had reached out to Fanatics late last week while Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf and Attorney General Josh Shapiro also contacted Rubin over the weekend and told him the state was in “dire need” of more masks and gowns amidst the outbreak of coronavirus in USA. Wolf had suggested that the state would pay for the masks, but MLB and the Fanatics teamed up to provide the masks for free. Rubin added that it would cost Fanatics about $3 million to make the masks and gowns and the company would manufacture at least 1 million over the course of several months.

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Coronavirus in MLB: When will MLB season start?

The MLB season was scheduled to commence on March 26 but the coronavirus pandemic saw the season delayed until April 9. With the growing spread of the coronavirus pandemic in the country, there is no certainty on when will MLB season start. Reports have suggested that the start of the MLB season could be moved to Memorial Day in May.

The MLB is currently facing the prospect of a shortened MLB schedule for the first time since 1995 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The coronavirus lockdown was issued after a New York Yankees minor league player tested positive for the virus, and with minimum crowd gathering advised for an eight-week period, a Memorial Day start appears to be the viable option for the upcoming MLB season.

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