Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The city of San Francisco made the first decision for them, and now the Giants must make several more.
In the wake of Mayor London Breed’s Wednesday declaration that the city won’t allow group events of 1,000 or more people in the next two weeks, effective immediately, in response to the Coronavirus outbreak, there is no way to play the March 24 exhibition against the A’s at Oracle Park.
The game is not canceled — at least not presently — but it will not be held at the Giants home stadium. The Giants are slated to play the day prior in Oakland, though there is not a good chance the A’s host that game.
The Giants can stay in Scottsdale and play those two games and March 22’s exhibition against the River Cats, then head to Los Angeles for the March 26 season opener.
That is the most likely scenario right now, but things are changing as fast as the virus is spreading.
“You have to trust the higher powers that are making these decisions that are more informed than all of us are and just roll with it,” Buster Posey said Wednesday at Scottsdale Stadium.
Posey — giving the caveat that he doesn’t know the plans and is speculating — believes there’s a better chance the Giants find an alternative home before postponing games or playing them without an audience. The Warriors will host the Nets on Thursday without opening the door to fans. While the two-week window does not include the Giants’ April 3 home opener, it is impossible to speculate that far ahead right now.
Fans are still allowed in Scottsdale, and Posey said his children were at Tuesday’s game. He believes the season will start on time.
“I just don’t know what it would look like. If you do postpone the games, how long are we talking?” Posey said. “How long can you push it back? So we’re playing games at Christmas? There’s still a lot to be figured out here.”
Posey allowed it would be “really weird” to play without fans watching, but that isn’t his main concern.
“Baseball’s so secondary when something like this is going on,” he said.