Mariners’ Marco Gonzales adjusting to life away from the diamond during sports stand-still

SPOKANE, Wash. — The Major League Baseball season has been put on hold as we wait for further information about coronavirus.  Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Marco Gonzales joined our Alyssa Charlston to talk about life away from baseball.

“I think we were all hanging on the edge of seat waiting to hear some news and our ownership, our GM, I mean we’re all finding this out at the same time it was kind of eerie how we all felt powerless and out of control of our situations,” Gonzales explians.

Instead of getting ready for the long season, the players have been sent home as their team facilities have been shut down.

“We wanted to stay as long as the doors were open because this was our best shot to get the work in to get throwing in, to have a gym,” Gonzales said.  “Once our season gets pushed back and where do you go, what do you do.”

Gonzales is a seasoned veteran so his adjustment should be easier than those trying to make the team, or others who are here from other countries.

“Especially our Latin players who you know they can’t go back to Venezuela, they can’t go back to the Dominican for fear not being able to get back in the states,” He said.

This spring training is especially tough to shut down for the Mariners who are a young team making quick strides to try to get back into being a competitive organization.

“I was actually really really thrilled about the progress we made in this camp. I thought our young guys were really showing a lot of maturity and growth. It’s a little deflating, I’ll be honest, when you have something you’ve been working for all offseason for,” Gonzales explained.

So now, like the rest of us, they are left waiting and wondering when things will get back and the players can get back to preperation for a shortened season.

“First of all you have to kind of endure this period of unknown and come into a season that we’ve never done before, you know, I have a lot of respect for teams that will endure and come out on top and have a winning season and I hope that’s us. I hope we’ve got a shot. Shoot, if we can lock it up for how many games, a short season, let’s go I’m in, I’m in for that,” Gonzales said happily.

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