Gov. Andrew Cuomo Suggests New York Stadiums Could Host Any MLB Game

With the COVID-19 pandemic relatively under control in New York state, Gov. Andrew Cuomo invited MLB teams to play games there.

Cuomo explained his thinking in a conference call Tuesday, via Bernadette Hogan of the New York Post:

"Major League Baseball is struggling with the challenges of playing ball in the COVID crisis. I have said from day one I thought that it was a very good idea to get sports back without fans. But, it would be televised, etc. I think it would be good for the economy, I think it would be good for the psyche, I think it would be good for the nation's soul.

"Here's my suggestion: I understand the challenge they're facing. New York state could host any Major League Baseball game that any teams want to play and they could play those games in our stadiums."

The Miami Marlins have an outbreak within the organization, as 17 team personnel have tested positive for the coronavirus, per Jeff Passan of ESPN. That includes 15 players, per Tom Withers of the Associated Press.

As a result, the Marlins will not play a game until at least Monday. Other teams have had their schedules altered as a result, with the New York Yankees traveling to face the Baltimore Orioles instead of the Philadelphia Phillies, whom Miami last played. The Marlins were scheduled to face the Orioles four times this week.

According to Johns Hopkins University and Medicine, Florida peaked earlier this month with over 15,000 new cases in a single day and has had about 10,000 new positive tests every day over the past couple of weeks.

New York hasn't had more than 1,000 new cases in any single day since June 6, well down from its April peak of more than 11,000 in one day.

That could help keep things safe for players on the Yankees, New York Mets and Toronto Blue Jays (playing home games in Buffalo). The death toll in the United States is approaching 150,000.

Cuomo indicated additional teams could safely play in New York if they quarantined before games.

"We will set up a health protocol," he said. "They could fly their team in on a private aircraft. They could go from the airport to a hotel, where they would be in quarantine. We would test everyone.

"We would get the test results back, and then they could play ball in our stadium and they could get on a plane and fly home. We have the ability to do it. We have the testing resources to do it."