Virus concerns restrict Mets' travel routines
Mets manager Luis Rojas walks to the dugout during the eighth inning against the Braves at Citi Field on Saturday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Buses awaited the Mets on Sunday night after their game against the Braves at Citi Field, just another reminder of how different this baseball season is from any other.
In the age of the COVID-19 pandemic, the club is eschewing air travel and taking buses with no more than 10 passengers per bus, according to manager Luis Rojas.
The players have an idea of how different things will be on the road this year. Justin Wilson said teammates won’t be going out together for dinners. Michael Conforto added that going for a routine coffee means masks and hand sanitizer.
“This is going to be a huge element to our success this year,” Conforto said. “We’ve just got to police each other and do what’s best for the team . . . We’ve just got to be smart about it. It’s one of those things where you just got to tough it out for a couple months.”
“There’s a lot of differences. I can’t wait for it to happen . . . so we adopt a routine,” Rojas said. “There’s a lot of routines that we adopted just coming here into camp . . . Going outside will definitely teach us more.”
Conforto usually gets in extra work at the ballpark when on the road, but said “there is some restriction on how long you can be at the ballpark this year so . . . a lot of guys are bringing their gaming — Xbox, PlayStation, stuff like that — so we can kind of hang out that way. There’s a lot of ‘Call of Duty’ players on this team.”
More closer options
In the wake of Edwin Diaz’s blown save in Saturday’s 5-3 extra-inning loss, Rojas said that he has other closing options. “With the different closers that we have: I mean there’s days that you may see Justin Wilson closing a game; you may see Seth Lugo closing a game and you seen Diaz twice closing a game,” he said.
Extra bases
Eduardo Nunez left the game after beating out an infield hit in the eighth inning and colliding with first baseman Charlie Culberson. Rojas said Nunez not only thought he might have hyperextended his left knee but hit his head on the turf. He said he will be evaluated in Boston . . . Wilson described the new extra-inning rule in which a team starts with a runner on second as not “our favorite.” He suggested that “if they had an out and a man on second, it might be a little more fair.” . . . Marcus Stroman’s calf injury has created a rotation gap that will come around Tuesday after Michael Wacha pitches the first game in Boston. Rojas hasn’t tabbed a starter and might go with an opener.
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
