Baseball is nearly back, or at least it will be next week when Major League Baseball’s abridged 60-game season gets underway in earnest. We still don’t know where the Blue Jays will play their home games, as Toronto is now out of the question. But we do know that at least some of the league’s players will be wearing masks when they take the field.
New York Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier had been vocal about mask wearing all summer, even when on the field. And he had been pretty eloquent as to why he would wear it even with Yankees and other MLB players routinely getting tested for COVID-19.
clint frazier on why he’s playing with a mask pic.twitter.com/487G5LaQlS
— joon (@joonlee) July 18, 2020
But on Saturday, the visuals were pretty stunning when he not only wore several kinds of masks, but smashed a home run into the second deck of Citi Field in an exhibition game against the Mets.
Mature & Masked Clint hits a second deck BOMB pic.twitter.com/AHZmfiTQ6I
— Jomboy (@Jomboy_) July 19, 2020
Frazier isn’t the only masked slugger who went yard on Saturday night. His former teammate and current Philadelphia Phillies infielder Didi Gregorious launched one to right field against Max Scherzer while covering his face.
We have a video we think you might enjoy. #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/rChawmTm9N
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) July 18, 2020
Wearing a mask is both for an individual’s safety and the safety of others, which is something that needs to be stressed as much as possible, especially following CDC director Robert Redfield saying the United States can get a handle on things if people masked up for 4-8 weeks. Regardless, it is a nice moment to see two players do the coolest thing you can in baseball while being responsible for the health and safety of those around them.