Sean Manaea considering wearing mask during starts for A’s
Major League Baseball is requiring that masks be worn in the dugout, but Oakland A’s starter Sean Manaea may take it to a different level.
As the 2020 Major League Baseball season is slated to get underway, there are a bevy of rules governing social distancing and safety. Players will need to wear a mask in the dugout. Spitting is prohibited, as is the age old habit of pitchers licking their fingers between offerings. It will be a major change from years past.
It turns out that Sean Manaea may have a way to keep himself from all of those issues. He has considered wearing a mask on the mound during games, and wore one during throwing drills to get used to the feel.
Not only would the mask theoretically keep Manaea safe during games, but it would serve as a deterrent to other forbidden actions. He would be unable to lick his fingers with the face covering, and that impulse to spit would be controlled.
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It is not a completely foreign concept. Other players around the league have been wearing masks while participating in baseball drills. Mike Trout has been wearing one during baserunning drills. Even one of Manaea’s own teammates, Yusmeiro Petit, has been wearing a mask during his throwing drills as well.
If this is something that he chooses to do during the season, now is the perfect time to get comfortable with the mask. Opening Day is currently slated to happen on July 24, giving Manaea time to get accustomed to how it feels having the facial covering while throwing simulated games or handling fielding drills.
The A’s are going to need Manaea to be ready, and comfortable, from the start. He shined in his five outings in September, allowing just four runs on 16 hits and seven walks while striking out 30 batters in his 29.2 innings. With the short season, having a healthy, and comfortable, Manaea will be key.
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A part of that could involve Sean Manaea using a mask while on the mound. If he finds comfort with one during the second phase of spring training, he could be completely locked in once the season begins.