St Louis Cardinals

Charles Peterson, a St. Louis Cardinals amateur scout, died Sunday after being hospitalized with COVID-19.

He was 46.

"Charles had an incredible impact on our scouting department," Cardinals assistant general manager and scouting director Randy Flores said in a statement. "He brought a tremendous work ethic, keen eye, and booming laugh with him every day. My prayers are with his wife Karen and family as anyone who ever talked to CP knew how proud he was of them."

Peterson had been hospitalized since Aug. 17. He was placed on a ventilator shortly after arriving at the hospital and his condition showed "no real improvement," according to a post on the GoFundMe page set up for Peterson's family.

"Charles always would light up the Draft room," Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said. "His smile, his voice, his energy—you knew it was Charles. He was a special man that made others better. He will be missed."

A 1993 first-round pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Peterson played five years in the minor leagues and eight more seasons of independent baseball before transitioning to a career as a scout. The South Carolina native had been with the Cardinals organization since 2012 and served as an area scout and special assistant to Flores. 

St. Louis Cardinals legend and Hall of Famer Lou Brock died Sunday.

Bleacher Report's Taylor Rooks shared the news of her great uncle's death:

It’s been a rough time for my family. My great Uncle Lou passed away. It’s so fitting that he’s my great uncle, because he embodied that word in every way. A great man, a great husband and father..and man could he steal a base. STL lost a legend. I love you and I already miss you pic.twitter.com/35b5m5IUHq

— Taylor Rooks (@TaylorRooks) September 6, 2020

Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch noted Brock, who played for the Chicago Cubs and Cardinals during a career that spanned from 1961 through 1979, died at the age of 81 after he "fought through a number of medical conditions in recent years."

There was a moment of silence for the all-time great prior to Sunday's game between his two teams:

https://twitter.com/MLBastian/status/1302742818037936128

We join the @Cardinals organization and all @MLB in mourning the passing of Hall of Famer Lou Brock. pic.twitter.com/VNqalvEHwp

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) September 6, 2020

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred offered his condolences in a statement:

Commissioner Manfred issued the following statement this evening regarding the passing of Hall of Famer Lou Brock at the age of 81: pic.twitter.com/MVi4XzD2Il

— MLB Communications (@MLB_PR) September 7, 2020

Tony Clark—the executive director of the Major League Baseball Player Association—issued a statement on Brock's death, saying the legend "personified the aggressive style of play the Cardinals helped bring to our game":

Statement of Executive Director Tony Clark on the passing of Lou Brock: pic.twitter.com/IbAoFKSZ6w

— MLBPA Communications (@MLBPA_News) September 7, 2020

Brock started his career on the Cubs, and they traded him to the rival Cardinals in his fourth season.

He then went on to become one of the best players in St. Louis history as a six-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion who was best known for his ability to steal bases with game-changing speed. He led the National League in stolen bases eight times during his career, including when he stole a stunning 118 bases in 1974.

Brock also mixed in some power, reaching double-digit home runs seven times, and finished with a batting average above .300 eight times.

In all, the legendary player finished his career with a .293/.343/.410 slash line, 3,023 hits, 149 home runs, 900 RBI, 938 steals and 1,610 runs.

He was at his best when the lights were the brightest, hitting .300 in the 1964 World Series win over the New York Yankees in the same season he was traded to St. Louis and slashing .414/.452/.655 with one home run, three RBI and seven stolen bases in the 1967 World Series win over the Boston Red Sox.

In his third trip to the World Series, Brock hit .464 with seven steals, but his team came up short in the 1968 Fall Classic against the Detroit Tigers.

Brock was forever immortalized when he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985.

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jack Flaherty has become increasingly outspoken in baseball when it comes to social justice in the wake of the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

His reason for doing so is simple. He told reporters he felt like he hasn't done enough to this point. 

"I haven't been involved enough," Flaherty told reporters on Thursday. "... I'm sick of talking. I just want to find things I can do and things that we can do as a community.” 

The 24-year-old, who is biracial and identifies as Black, was the only other Cardinals player to sit out Wednesday's game in protest with Dexter Fowler, who is one of three Black players on St. Louis' roster.

Blake was shot in the back seven times by Kenosha, Wisconsin, officer Rusten Sheskey on Monday while returning to his car after trying to de-escalate a domestic dispute. Blake is expected to survive; however, the shooting has left him paralyzed from the waist down. It's unknown if the condition is permanent. 

Flaherty's voice has grown more noticeable across baseball this season.

Considered one of the sport's rising stars after posting a 2.75 ERA, 0.968 WHIP with 231 strikeouts and 55 walks in 2019, the 24-year-old has used his platform to speak out on injustice. 

He was one of MLB's prominent players to speak up after the murder of George Floyd in May and on Thursday pointed a finger at his own league for not taking decisive action. 

While multiple teams voted not to play over the past 24 hours—following the lead of the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday—MLB as a whole hasn't called to postpone games. Conversely, the NBA, WNBA and MLS postponed play, while numerous NFL teams canceled practice to discuss action opportunities in their communities.  

The NHL is also considering postponing its playoffs on Thursday. 

The WNBA made one of the more striking displays of protests on Wednesday, with all teams coming together for a demonstration inside the league's bubble at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Some players wore shirts with seven holes in the back, representing the number of times that Blake was shot by police. A candlelight vigil was held.

That sort of unity wasn't present in baseball. While the Seattle Mariners, Milwaukee Brewers, Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres opted not to play Wednesday, other clubhouses were split. 

Outfielder Jason Hayward, who is a Black man, sat out for the Chicago Cubs but encouraged his teammates to take the field, for example. 

Flaherty not only wants Major League Baseball to do more, but he's taken it upon himself to join the chorus of players demanding it. 

St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Dexter Fowler will not play in Wednesday's game against the Kansas City Royals in protest of the police shooting of Jacob Blake on Sunday.

The Cardinals announced that "Dexter Fowler and Jack Flaherty have decided to stand in solidarity with other players throughout Major League Baseball. Dexter Fowler is a healthy scratch from tonight's game. The Cardinals organization supports their decisions."

Flaherty, a starting pitcher, was not scheduled to take the mound in Wednesday's contest.

In May, Fowler posted a message on his Instagram page following the police killing of George Floyd alongside an image that said "I can't breathe":

"Here's the thing. I know it's hard to fully grasp why black people are outraged.

"It's hard to grasp unless you've seen people hold their purses tighter when you walk by, when you have people refer to you as 'not black' when you're not 'ghetto'. When your parents have to give you a talk when you're just a kid. 'you can't act like your white friends. you'll get killed. they won't'

"This is a generational discussion EVERY black family has. It terrifies you as a kid, and as an adult.

"You don't understand why we know, those officers didn't flinch at murdering that man, because he is black.

The race card. We hold it. You tell us 'it's not about race' if we ever hold you to it. You don't want us to have even that 1 bone chilling 'privilege' of defense. You don't want us to hold any privilege.

"We don't hold the privilege of being a criminal, making a mistake, or simply taking a jog, the same as a white man, and being treated the same.

"He couldn't breathe. He was murdered. They were gently fired from their jobs. This isn't right. This can't go on.

"(if you assume 'you', is you, and you're upset about the generalization...... just think about that for a second)."

Flaherty has also used his platform on social media to support the Black Lives Matter movement and fight against police brutality and systemic racism through retweets and his own words:

say it again Doc
so much respect https://t.co/jp2aeLVJ82

— Jack Flaherty (@jflare_) August 26, 2020

Elsewhere in baseball, the Milwaukee Brewers announced the players from their team and the Cincinnati Reds decided not to play Wednesday's game.

The Seattle Mariners also voted not to play against the San Diego Padres, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today, and second baseman Dee Gordon and infielder Shed Long Jr. explained their rationale:

Instead of watching us, we hope people will focus on the things more important than sports that are happening.

- Dee Strange-Gordon

— Dee Strange-Gordon (@FlashGJr) August 26, 2020

Enough is enough pic.twitter.com/Rhs0hbLVMN

— Shed Long Jr. (@SLONG895) August 26, 2020

Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reported Chicago Cubs right fielder Jason Heyward chose to sit out his team's game against the Detroit Tigers but encouraged his teammates to take the field.

The decisions from baseball players come after the NBA announced Wednesday's three playoff games were postponed. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Milwaukee Bucks first decided to sit out their game against the Orlando Magic.

The WNBA announced Wednesday's three games were postponed as well.

Video emerged of police shooting Blake in the back multiple times as he approached a car. Blake's attorney, Benjamin Crump, said Blake's sons were in the car as the police shot him.

The St. Louis Cardinals are finally going to play a baseball game. 

On Thursday, the Cardinals announced they will take the field Saturday for a doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox. It will be the team's first game since July 29 following a number of postponements because of a COVID-19 outbreak within the team.

Derrick S. Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch noted the Cardinals will make up some of the games they lost by playing three doubleheaders in the Windy City in the coming week, with the latter two coming against the Chicago Cubs on Monday and Wednesday.

St. Louis saw series against the Milwaukee Brewers, Detroit Tigers, Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates and Tigers again postponed.

As a result, it has played a mere five games. By comparison, the National League Central rival Cincinnati Reds have played 19. That creates a scenario in which the Cardinals will be playing plenty of doubleheaders for the rest of the season to fit their games in, as the league is trying to fit 60 games in for each team.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the league and players union are working together to finalize the Cardinals' schedule.

The players are pushing for more doubleheaders to keep additional off-days, while the league is eyeing the day after the season as a possible date for another doubleheader. Doubleheaders will feature seven-inning games this year.

There is something of a silver lining for Cardinals fans, as Goold reported top prospect Dylan Carlson will join the team.

Goold also noted MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred previously suggested the Cardinals look toward their satellite camp in Springfield, Missouri, for players who have been participating in baseball activities and not "shut down" while the team dealt with a number of positive tests.

Carlson has been part of that group. 

MLB.com ranked the outfielder as the Cardinals' top prospect for the 2020 campaign.

Major League Baseball canceled the Thursday doubleheader between the St. Louis Cardinals and Detroit Tigers because of the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak within the Cardinals organization. 

"MLB and the Club believe it is prudent to continue additional testing while players and staff are quarantined before the team returns to play," the league said in a statement, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post. 

MLB with no official word yet on when #StLCards can restart season. Best hope is Friday at #WhiteSox. Also recognize Cards will not play 60 Gs this yr and determination will have to be made how to handle their record for playoff chances. Rest of the lge will not be happy.

— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) August 10, 2020

That makes it 18 games and counting that the Cardinals have had postponed, and it's simply no longer feasible that all of them will be rescheduled. The Cardinals have played just five games of the 60-game shortened season to this point, going 2-3, while most other teams have completed 16 games so far. 

"I think whether you get all the way to 60 or not, that's difficult at this point," MLB commissioner Rob Manfred told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Monday. "I think it's possible for them to play enough games to be credible, to be a credible competitor in this season."

How many games they are able to play—and when they are able to return—remains up in the air, however. The threshold of games needed to be a "credible competitor" is also unknown. 

"It's a bummer. We're learning as we go," Cardinals president John Mozeliak told reporters Sunday after the team's series against the Pittsburgh Pirates this week was postponed. "What's the right amount of time to not assemble to try and prevent the spread? I don't think we know that answer perfectly."

The outbreak for the Cardinals has been serious enough that several players have been hospitalized because of coronavirus symptoms:

During his weekly interview on KMOX/1120 AM, #stlcards manager Mike Shildt reveals what has been asked often about: Some COVID-19 positive individuals with team have had to go to the Emergency Room due to symptoms.

Team says none have remained hospitalized.

Full quote: pic.twitter.com/2Yn4t3B2Gp

— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) August 9, 2020

But Manfred remains optimistic that the team will be able to resume play at some point this season.

"One hundred percent. I absolutely see a path back for the Cardinals," he said. "That is dependent on getting enough days with no positives that we're comfortable with, that we don't have a contagion risk. But, yes, 100 percent I see a path back." 

The three-game National League Central series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates scheduled for Monday through Wednesday has been postponed.

MLB makes it official: The Cardinals-Pirates series has been postponed. pic.twitter.com/9pYY3HYZ67

— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) August 9, 2020

The Cardinals are dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak within the team and have not played since a July 29 loss to the Minnesota Twins. Their series against the Milwaukee Brewers, Detroit Tigers and Chicago Cubs were already postponed prior to this news.

Heyman reported the latest round of COVID-19 tests within the Cardinals is expected to produce at least one more positive result. ESPN's Jesse Rogers added more details:

John Mozeliak says one player tested positive today. OF Lane Thomas

— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) August 10, 2020

On Saturday, Mark Saxon of The Athletic reported players were told the team would not get together for at least three to five days.

"We think we're isolating the individual that may be connected to this, so there is a small level of confidence that we may sort of know where this all began through contact tracing," president of baseball operations John Mozeliak previously told Saxon.

Derrick S. Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch noted manager Mike Shildt went on KMOX/1120 AM and said some of those who tested positive went to the emergency room with their symptoms, although none have remained hospitalized.

This latest news will make it even more difficult for St. Louis to finish its season.

Games against the Cubs, Brewers and Pirates in particular figure to have a heavy bearing on the NL Central race with only 60 games on the schedule, making them all the more important in the race for the playoffs.

However, Bob Nightengale of USA Today pointed out the Cardinals have just 46 days to play their remaining 55 games following the latest postponement. That could mean a grueling finish for the team even with doubleheaders adjusted to seven innings this year.

The St. Louis Cardinals reportedly won't be gathering as a team for three to five days in an effort to combat the COVID-19 outbreak within the team. 

Mark Saxon of The Athletic reported that the team's upcoming series with the Pittsburgh Pirates, scheduled to start Monday, will likely be canceled. 

The Cardinals have already had 12 games postponed, with 16 members of the organization (nine players) testing positive for the coronavirus. They're the second MLB team to face a major outbreak of the coronavirus; the Miami Marlins returned to play Tuesday after having six games postponed. 

For the Cardinals, the question is when it will be safe to resume their season. 

"I don't know what the right answer is. Is it two days, is it five days, is it 10 days or is it two weeks? The whole country, the whole world, is facing these same questions," Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak told Saxon. "We're just caught in the middle of it. That's why it's a pandemic."

The other question is whether the Cardinals took the proper precautions once positive cases started being recorded. The team began isolating on July 31 after the first positive tests, per Saxon, but reconvened to travel on Wednesday. 

Whenever they return, they'll be facing a whirlwind schedule, with 55 games and just 49 days remaining in the MLB regular season (and that's if the series against the Pirates isn't canceled). Given the already strange  nature of the 60-game shortened season, the Cardinals are facing a unique and potentially grueling gauntlet of games when—or if—they return to play.

Major League Baseball announced Friday that the St. Louis Cardinals' three-game series with the Chicago Cubs has been postponed amid the Cardinals' ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. 

According to a press release from MLB, the Cardinals had two additional players and one staff member test positive for coronavirus over the past two days. The Cardinals announced Ryan Helsley and Austin Dean were the two players who tested positive. 

Cardinals update: with all counted there are now 2 confirmed players positive and 1 staff member. So they’ve had 16 total positives, including 9 players.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) August 8, 2020

The Cardinals have not played since July 29 due to the COVID-19 outbreak. 

The Cardinals have played only five games this season, the fewest of any MLB team. The Miami Marlins and Philadelphia Phillies, who took more than a week off after Miami experienced an outbreak, have the next fewest with seven games completed. Some teams have played as many as 14 games.

Carrdinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak recently refuted rumors the team's outbreak was related to a casino trip. 

"I have no factual reason to believe that is true, and I have not seen any proof of that," Mozeliak told reporters. "If someone was at a casino, though, that would be disappointing."

Catcher Yadier Molina and shortstop Paul DeJong were among the six St. Louis Cardinals revealed to have tested positive for the coronavirus amid the outbreak within the organization:

We are aware that Yadier Molina, Paul DeJong, Junior Fernández, Rangel Ravelo, Edmundo Sosa and Kodi Whitley have tested positive for COVID-19.

All six individuals made the decision to grant permission in order to release this information. pic.twitter.com/tqjcG6SNx0

— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) August 4, 2020

Molina announced earlier on Instagram that he was among the Cardinals players who tested positive for COVID-19.

Yadier Molina announces on his Instagram that he has tested positive or COVID-19. #STLCards pic.twitter.com/F5gHofXWha

— Erica Weston (@EricaLWeston) August 4, 2020

Yadier Molina's verified Instagram account says, in Spanish, "I have tested positive for Covid-19 after following the recommended protocols." Goes on to promise he'll return as soon as he can.

— Mark Saxon (@markasaxon) August 4, 2020

Major League Baseball confirmed Monday that 13 players and staff members from St. Louis had tested positive for COVID-19. As a result, the team's four-game series with the Detroit Tigers was postponed.

The Cardinals shared a statement from Molina:

"I am saddened to have tested positive for COVID-19, even after adhering to safety guidelines that were put in place. I will do everything within my power to return as soon as possible for Cardinals fans, the city of St. Louis and my teammates. As I recover, I request that you please respect my privacy and family in my absence from the team."

Former MLB player Jerry Hairston Jr. reported last Saturday he heard some Cardinals players had visited a casino prior to their outbreak. Jon Heyman of MLB Network corroborated the claim, reporting "at least a couple Cardinals" traveled to a casino.

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak expressed doubt as to the veracity of the reports.

"I have no factual reason to believe that is true, and I have not seen any proof of that," he said, per ESPN's Jeff Passan. "If they were at a casino, though, that would be disappointing."

Molina's positive test will take him out of the lineup, and it's impossible to know for sure when he'll return.

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez will miss the entire season after testing positive for COVID-19 and subsequently being diagnosed with myocarditis, which is inflammation of the heart.

Molina had appeared in five games to start the 2020 campaign, going 4-for-18 with one RBI and a .222 slugging percentage. His absence will likely mean Matt Wieters takes over as St. Louis' everyday catcher.

DeJong, meanwhile, has started the season 4-for-19 with one home run and four RBI in five appearances.

The Cardinals are tentatively scheduled to resume play Friday against the Chicago Cubs.