ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) _ Major League Baseball says Justin Turner risked the safety of others by violating coronavirus protocols when he celebrated the Los Angeles Dodgers’ World Series win with his teammates and refused instructions from security to leave Globe Life Field.
The commissioner’s office said Wednesday that it is starting a full investigation of the 35-year-old third baseman.
Turner was pulled from Tuesday night’s game following the seventh inning after MLB was notified that he had tested positive for COVID-19. Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said Turner was quarantined in a doctor’s office off to the side. But he later returned to the field and took down his mask to pose for a team photo on the field.
The commissioner’s office said it will consult with the players’ association as part of its investigation. The union was in the process of gathering facts on the events.
The Dodgers won their first World Series championship since 1988 with a 3-1 victory over Tampa Bay in Game 6 on Tuesday night.
Meanwhile, Blake Snell spent nearly 10 minutes discussing a disappointing end to the World Series before concluding with a message to the rest of the Tampa Bay Rays.
The 2018 AL Cy Young Award winner doesn’t want his teammates to be satisfied with finishing second to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He wants everyone to take some time off to wind down from the playoff run, then show up for spring training hungry and ready to finish the job next season.