Kevin Newman knew he had to make a change. It was his only chance of playing baseball in 2020. It wasn't just for him, but for his teammates.
He had to stop licking his fingers.
"I don’t know when it started, but [I did it] just to give a little bit of extra grip in between every pitch when I’m on defense," Newman said during a Zoom call after his workout Friday. "That’s what I used to do. I had to break that."
There apparently wasn't any finger licking -- or spitting or high fives -- going on at PNC Park Friday during the first team workout of summer camp, an event unlike any at the stadium's 20-season history, arguably in the franchise's 134-year history.
Players were divided into both clubhouses: Hitters stayed in the home clubhouse on the third base side, pitchers to the visiting clubhouse behind first base. Instead of everyone being on the field at once, smaller groups were staggered throughout the day. And maybe most striking, players and coaches wore masks. The club provided two options: One that goes around the ears or neck gaiters. They were worn almost the entire day, with reprieves being given for when they were hitting, pitching or taking fielding drills. Even when they weren't being worn, most hung from the player's neck:
Sights and ⚾️ sounds ⚾️ from the opening of the Pirates’ summer camp today at PNC Park: pic.twitter.com/FC1F5OXtqP
— DK Pittsburgh Sports (@DKPghSports) July 3, 2020
Newman said that he didn't know all of the exact protocols, "but anytime that we’re in close contact with other people, we have masks.”
But the masks aren't an excuse to hold anyone back this camp.
"Our focus is to get better at baseball every day," Joe Musgrove said during a Zoom call Friday. "Not bitch and complain about all the rules that we have to follow."
Musgrove talked during the offseason and the first spring training about wanting to take more of a leadership role with the team. Now, part of that means making sure protocols are being followed as to not jeopardize anyone.
"The more I wear mine, people are gonna see it and want to wear theirs," Musgrove said about his mask. "Or they’re not gonna want me to yell at them or say something to them, so they’ll throw it on. I don’t want to wear it any more than the next guy, but we’re trying to keep guys safe."
[caption id="attachment_1002030" align="aligncenter" width="640"]
Musgrove reports for work, Friday at PNC Park. - PIRATES[/caption]
Earlier this week, Derek Shelton said the Pirates were going to focus on sticking to MLB's protocols during camp. They had an extra level of precautions added Thursday when the Allegheny County Health Department closed down all in-person activities of 25 or more people.
Bench coach Don Kelly, who handled the schedule for spring training and will do so for summer camp as well, and director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk were able to make adjustments to the player groupings to make sure the Pirates complied.
"I think the buzzword of camp is going to be 'adjustments,' because we got an adjustment before we started in terms of being in the ballpark," Shelton said in a Zoom call. "We're going to continue to adapt and adjust every day. The one thing that I've been really happy with our guys is they've taken to the things we've asked. They've continued to do it. I think something that we talked about in spring training that really stood out to me with this group was how cohesive they are and how they get along and how they interact with each other. I think they've done a good job in monitoring themselves and policing themselves.
"It's a credit to our group for how they've gone about it."
For Musgrove, the toughest adjustments aren't necessarily when he is on the mound, but rather in the dugout and in the clubhouse.
“Aside from hugging guys – I’m always hugging on dudes – or high fives, that’s the stuff you really try to be careful about, the contact that’s not necessary," Musgrove said. "But when I’m out on the field, man, there’s nothing going through my head but baseball and the competitive mindset that I get into. I’m not thinking about being careful and not licking my fingers. I’m just going.
"When I’m inside and I’m doing work, I’m really cautious of those things. But when we’re out on the field, I’m all baseball. I’m not even thinking about that stuff."
For some across the league, the risk that is coming with this season is not worth it, and they are deciding not to play in 2020.
The Pirates have not had any players opt-out of the season. There wasn't quite full participation Friday, as some were still getting test results and going through the league's protocols.
“Everybody we thought should be here was here,” Shelton said. “As we get test results, we’ll go off that.”
On Friday, MLB released the results of the first batch of COVID-19 tests, revealing that 31 players and seven coaches tested positive. That was a sample of 3,185 tests, or 1.2%. That's much lower than the 7.1% positive test rate the NBA recently had or the rising national rate.
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Josh Bell during batting practice Friday. -- PIRATES[/caption]
Musgrove said he's "not all that worried about" catching or dealing with the virus, saying he isn't married or have kids. The only member of his family who is high-risk is his father, who Musgrove said shouldn't have any problems watching the games on TV this year.
For Newman, it was a no-brainer.
“That wasn’t even a thought in my mind,” Newman said about possibly opting out. “I want to play baseball. From everything that I’ve heard, every single person was stoked to get back here. We were excited to get out on the field and do everything that we could — just get back to our normal lives.”
After being away from the game since Mar. 12, when spring training was suspended, Friday was a step towards that normalcy.
Musgrove threw a 75-pitch, five inning simulated game. Players took fielding drills and swings in the cage. They were able to get time in the weight room. Hitters stood in the box for pitchers' side sessions. Musgrove was pitching, so he got to pick the music playing, which included some Bob Marley.
"In terms of my day, it’s similar to how it was before on the field," Newman said.
A normal day in an abnormal camp.
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