Phillies: Tom McCarthy discusses Marlins, season lull, sons

Tom McCarthy recalls events before, during, and after last Sunday’s controversial Phillies-Marlins game

Many people around Major League Baseball, including fans, have said that the Marlins should never have played on Sunday.

A recent MLB internal investigation found that the Marlins were “very lapse in following protocols” during their trip to Atlanta to take on the Braves prior to the July 24 season opener at Citizens Bank Park, according to Turner Sports’ Scott Miller. Findings revealed that Marlins players went out (including to bars) instead of following social distancing protocols; Miller adds that “a lot of MLB people [are] very unhappy with Miami.”

The Marlins reportedly even knew at least three of their players had tested positive or were experiencing symptoms, but following a group text, still opted to play against the Phillies in the series finale. Among those included scratched starting pitcher Jose Urena and former Phillies catcher Jorge Alfaro, who traveled on a plane to Philadelphia, but never took the field that series due to protocol. He found out on Opening Day that he had tested positive, was placed on the injured list, and began quarantining.

According to McCarthy, about two hours before Sunday’s game, broadcasters and media were invited to listen in to Don Mattingly‘s press conference.

“We waited and waited and waited, and we wondered, ‘Did we miss it?’” McCarthy recalled. “In reality, we didn’t; 40 minutes after it was scheduled to start, the PR representative for the Marlins — who did a really good job the whole weekend — came on and said, ‘No press conference today; Don Mattingly will address the media after the game.’”

McCarthy added that by that point, he had heard rumors a few other Marlins in the traveling party had tested positive. “I actually called my wife and said, ‘I don’t think we’re going to play today,’ only because of the knowledge that Jorge Alfaro had already tested positive — unbeknownst to him —  and had flown on the plane from Atlanta to Philadelphia,” McCarthy said.

“So, I just assumed that we wouldn’t play Sunday, only because you want to make sure that you tamp this down as we’ve come to find out,” McCarthy continued. “We wound up playing and losing. After the game is when Don discussed affirmatively that the starting pitcher who had been scratched had apparently tested positive and several other players.”

While last Sunday’s game was played, the Yankees and Major League Baseball caught wind of the situation and postponed the four-game home-and-home series between the two teams. The Phillies’ interleague set against the Toronto Blue Jays this weekend has also been shelved.

McCarthy said he was not sure what the aftermath of the Marlins situation on Sunday meant for the Phillies moving forward for those since-postponed games.

“I think, like a lot of us, we woke up the next day still thinking we were going to play the Yankees, but then realized as things were mushrooming, there was a pretty good chance that we weren’t going to play that day,” he noted.