Safe at home? Social distancing difficult around MLB plates

Just like his strong arm and limber legs, Joe Girardi me good use of his mouth over 15 seasons as a big league catcher. So much so that slugger Chili Davis once told him to shut it.

“He was like, ‘You’re boring me, I’m trying to hit,’” recalled Girardi, w manr of Philelphia Phillies. “I said, ‘Well, I’m trying to bor you, Chili.’”

Girardi doesn’t think that kind of chatter will happen as much this season amid coronavirus pandemic.

re’s some concern that home plate could become a hot spot for transmission as baseball attempts to play a shortened 60-game season starting Thursday.

Social distancing elsewhere around diamond is fairly easy. But with batter, catcher and umpire gared within a few feet of each or around home plate, it might t be possible for all parties to follow government guidance to avoid 10 to 15 minutes of close exposure to ors.

“It’s been a little weird. Just from being back re for so long, you get used to having people around,” Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Carson Kelly said. “But w you get some second thoughts. ‘Oh wait, should I be this close to this guy?’ … We’ve got a job to do but at same time we need to be safe.”

Like with so much in everyday life during pandemic, interactions at home — wher cordial exchanges or distracting chatter — will feel far from rmal for trio around that 17-inch wide plate.

“This is something everybody’s talking about, everybody’s trying to figure out,” Texas Rangers catcher Robinson Chiris said. “But in end hopefully we can do our part and be safe at plate, because of having those three guys right re so close.”

Chiris plans to wear a face covering under his catcher’s mask, but kws that it will have “to be on and off just because I still need to be vocal out re being a catcher,” and make sure pitchers and fielders can hear and understand what he is saying.

Just by nature of ir responsibility to calls balls and strikes, umpires are directly behind catchers and peering over catchers' shoulders. Within that close contact it’s t uncommon — at least t in past — for umpires to put ir hands on crouching catchers. re is also back-and-forth talk between m at times about those calls, though that is rarely face-to-face.

Some plate umpires are expected to wear ir own face coverings. In dition, umpires have been given plastic shields to go over bottom of ir masks. That could reduce contact and droplets, but re might be some concern about those shields fogging up.

About 10 Major League Baseball umpires have opted out of working games this season because of concerns about coronavirus.

Umpires are being tested regularly for coronavirus, like players, manrs, coaches and or essential staff members have to be so y can be on field.

Kurt Suzuki, catcher for World Series champion Washington Nationals, said it would be “really tough” for him to wear a medical mask when behind plate, though he would like to do that.

“But we have good protocols, good testing. Everybody who’s here shows up negative, so that’s kind of where we’re at right w,” Suzuki said. “We’re all in this toger. We have to follow rules if we want to make this work.”

Even with all testing, precautions and protocols, re will still be an uneasy feeling for some around home plate.

“In big picture, I’m worried because if one gets it, everyone gets it. That’s how virus is. That’s what gets me scared about it,” Milwaukee Brewers catcher Omar Narvaez said. "Everyone kws healthiest team is going to win. We’re all going to try and help each or stay healthy. Everybody kws it’s a dangerous position we’re in right w, but I’m trying t to think about it.″

New York Yankees have two players who say y’ll wear masks at least some of time around home plate — outfielder Clint Frazier and backup catcher Kyle Higashioka.

Frazier was among first MLB players to declare he’d wear a face covering full-time, and he’s been experimenting with different models to see what feels best in batter’s box.

“I’m just trying to show that it’s easy to do and it’s right thing to do,” Frazier said. “If it helps a little bit, it’s t hard to do, so I’m going to try to do it as much as I can. Hopefully someone sees it and maybe y do it, too.”

Yankees manr Aaron Boone supports players wearing masks if y’re comfortable doing it, but isn’t mandating it. Neir is MLB — players must use face coverings elsewhere in ballpark, but t during on-field activities.

Higashioka has settled on a lightweight gaiter covering that fits comfortably under his catcher’s mask. He won’t wear it while hitting because it restricts his ability to turn his he, but said “for catching, re’s thing that really bugs me about it.”

“I’m kind of in close vicinity with a couple or people,” he said. “Might as well just throw face covering on just in case. t sure if it’ll help much, but anything works.”

Im credits: AP