Rangers vs Mariners Opening Series in Seattle Will Be Moved Due to COVID-19

ARLINGTON, Texas – The opening series of the Rangers and Mariners seasons will not be played in Seattle.

In response to Governor Jay Inslee's statement, the Rangers vs Mariners opening series in Seattle will be moved to an alternate location due to the precautions taken by the state of Washington over the spread of COVID-19. The Rangers confirmed this in an official statement.

With today’s announcement by Washington Governor Jay Inslee that will necessitate the relocation of the Seattle Mariners opening series with the Rangers from March 26-29, we will be working with Major League Baseball and the Mariners on alternate plans for the scheduling of these games.

We will provide more information about the plans for this series as it becomes available.

Thank you for your attention.

The health and well-being of Washingtonians during the COVID-19 outbreak remains our top priority.

Starting today, we will prohibit events of more than 250 people in King, Snohomish and Pierce Counties to slow the spread of this virus. pic.twitter.com/U1wOf0paIW
— Governor Jay Inslee (@GovInslee) March 11, 2020

Governor Inslee went on to say in his Twitter thread that this was not a decision he took lightly.

"I do not make this decision lightly. However, this is one of the most prudent choices we can make to keep people safe during this health crisis."

-Governor Jay Inslee

The four-game series is still scheduled to be played March 26-29.

The most logical and speculated location would be the Mariners' facility in Peoria, Arizona where they play their spring training games. Peoria Sports Complex is more equipped to handle a Major League Baseball regular season game than the Rangers' facility in Surprise. There's also been speculation the Rangers and Mariners could swap series and have the four games played in Arlington at the Rangers' new Globe Life Field.

The Rangers haven't definitively stated anything, but they would more than likely prefer to not do this to prepare for the opening of a brand new ballpark as scheduled, not to mention the further conflicts throughout the season.

There are only two times the Mariners visit Arlington. The first time is April 24-26, which would more than likely not solve the problem. The Mariners then travel to Texas for a four-game series on September 7-10. This would give the Rangers an 11-game road trip late in the season instead of a standard 7-game road stint.

***UPDATE***

The sports world was rocked last night.

Late Wednesday night, the NBA suspended their season due to Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert testing positive for COVID-19. The suspension is indefinite for now.

With the NBA, NHL, MLB, and MLS be united with the media restrictions to locker rooms, they could decide to stay united with suspending regular season play. The situation with the NBA is a bot different since they have a player who has tested positive for the virus.

The NHL shares many of the same arenas with the NBA, so they may follow suit. An updated statement is expected from the NHL on Thursday. Some teams in the NHL have already taken precautions, with the Columbus Blue Jackets vs Pittsburgh Penguins game in Columbus being played without fans in the stands.

As for now, Major League Baseball maintains that spring games and regular season games will be played on time. The fluidity of this situation could change that in a matter of moments.

Per multiple reports on Thursday morning, the Chris Stapleton concert, the first event scheduled for Globe Life Field, has been postponed.

Stay tuned for further information regarding COVID-19 and its effect on the sports world.

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