To no one’s surprise, really, the NPB season has been further delayed due to the continued spread of the coronavirus in Japan, especially in the Tokyo area. Today (April 4) marked the first day in which there were over 100 new cases reported in the nation’s capital alone, and most of them cannot be traced back to their origins. As a country, Japan has now had over 4,000 cases, including over 700 on the Diamond Princess cruise ship back in January.
As for NPB, the lone three cases so far remain Tigers pitcher Shintaro Fujinami, outfielder Hayata Itoh and catcher Kenya Nagasaka, who all apparently got infected at a dinner party held on March 14, as a way of celebrating the end of the preseason (which was played in empty stadiums). To the best of my knowledge, Nagasaka was the first to complain of symptoms, as he had a fever on March 18. He was cleared by team doctors to return to practice by March 24, and after sharing a table for meals with 19-year old shortstop Ryuhei Obata at the team dorm on that day and the 25th, he complained of a lost sense of taste. The next day, he was tested and hospitalized, having tested positive for the virus.
Meanwhile, Obata complained of fever and extreme sluggishness on April 1, and underwent a PCR test on April 2. He was not in attendance at the party back on March 14 (though four other Tigers were allegedly there), but his close contact with Nagasaka on the 24th and 25th left many fearing that he had contracted the virus from his mate. Fortunately, Obata’s test came back negative. He is self-quarantining in his room at the team dorm.
Despite plans to attempt to begin the 2020 season on April 24, team owners convened on April 2 and 3, reaching the conclusion that there was no feasible way to safely start by that date. They have not set a new date, though they have said that they are unlikely to start before the end of May. There is a good chance the season will be shortened, and the possibilities of (a) no interleague games; (b) no all-star games, and (c) no Climax Series at season’s end (i.e., going straight to the Japan Series with the two league leaders facing off) have been floating around the rumor mills.
At present, each team has its own policy for the resumption of workouts and practices. The Tigers have suspended team gatherings of any sort indefinitely, presumably until there are no cases of coronavirus left on the team. Speaking of which, the condition for the three men to be released from the hospital is that they have to test negative for COVID-19 on two consecutive tests, which are taken on separate days. None of them have done so yet, although there have been no reports of worsened conditions, either.
Let’s continue to stay safe, isolate ourselves (though virtual gatherings are encouraged), and pray that this awful virus will loosen its grip on humanity soon.