Play ball? Not this summer. Coronavirus cancels Boise Hawks’ season.
A season delayed received its final sentence Tuesday.
The Boise Hawks will not play a single game this summer as Minor League Baseball canceled the 2020 season across the country Tuesday.
“We had remained optimistic since March that our season would not be affected,” Boise Hawks General Manager Mike Van Hise said in a news release. “We prepared for the worst and hoped for the best. We understand yet are saddened by the news from Minor League Baseball this afternoon.”
The Hawks planned to open the season June 17, but the Northwest League delayed that start amid the global coronavirus pandemic and a labor dispute between Major League Baseball and its players.
The two sides have since reached a labor agreement for a shortened MLB season this summer. But Major League Baseball declined to send players to 261 minor-league clubs across the country in the middle of the pandemic.
No players meant no season was possible nationwide for the first time since 1901, when Minor League Baseball’s predecessor was founded.
“These are unprecedented times for our country and our organization ... ,” Minor League Baseball President Pat O’Conner said in a news release. “While this is a sad day for many, this announcement removes the uncertainty surrounding the 2020 season and allows our teams to begin planning for an exciting 2021 season of affordable family entertainment.”
Van Hise said the Hawks are working to contact ticket holders about refunds or rolling their ticket packages into next season.
Rising case numbers in Ada County currently prevent the Hawks from playing in front of fans at their home stadium in Garden City. Minor-league teams don’t have the television broadcast deals of their Major League parents, making playing without fans in the stands a money-losing proposition.
Central District Health moved Ada County back to Stage 3 of Idaho’s reopening plan last week. Returning to Stage 4, which allows sporting venues to reopen, doesn’t look like it will happen anytime soon after Ada County reported 217 new COVID-19 cases Monday.
The Hawks were hosting events and using Memorial Stadium as an outdoor restaurant earlier this summer. But it closed for two weeks June 26 as Ada County’s new cases took off.
Boise Hawks Vice President Bob Flannery said in the news release the team will look into hosting more events this summer.
This marks the first time the Northwest League hasn’t played a season since its founding in 1955. It is also the first summer without professional baseball in Boise since 1986.
This story was originally published June 30, 2020 at 3:24 PM.
