Behind a mask, Pirates' Kevin Newman enjoys return to baseball - TribLIVE

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The mask hides his face, so you’ll just have to believe Kevin Newman when he says he was smiling Friday morning when he stepped onto the infield at PNC Park.

Major-league baseball returned to Pittsburgh when the Pirates began preparations for a 60-game season that will start later this month.

“It was good to get back out there and enjoy the stadium, enjoy the view and be out there with the guys,” said Newman, who is returning for his second season as the Pirates’ starting shortstop.

“Just happy. You can’t see it all the time because we have masks on, but we’re smiling.”

There were many protocols in place to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus — no spitting or high-fives, no licking of the fingers, chewing sunflower seeds or drinking from water bottles and, of course, social distancing exists almost everywhere — but Newman said the morning practice was like so many others he has experienced since high school.

“Groundballs, (batting practice), stood in for live bullpens, got some baserunning in,” he said. “Pretty much a normal day.”

He said he has learned to kick an old habit of licking his fingers before every pitch while he’s in the field. Also, he wears the mask anytime he’s close to another player, even though it’s not always comfortable.

“When you’re out there on the field, it’s definitely hard to wear a mask during certain things,” he said, noting he doesn’t need to wear it while fielding groundballs. “If you’re running around in the heat, you have to breathe.”

But he knows it’s for the greater good.

“Everybody wants to abide by the rules and keep everyone out of harm’s way,” he said.

Every MLB team has only three weeks to prepare for the season that is scheduled to start July 23 or 24, and Newman said that needs to be enough time. At this point in the summer, players do not have a choice.

“There’s no reason in saying it’s not (enough time), because it’s what we got,” he said. “We’re just going to embrace it and do everything we can.

“We don’t necessarily have time for every individual person to go through their individual routine, in terms of being on the field. But we’re adjusting well.

“Coaches are doing a great job of asking us what we need, what we would want in the time we do have out there. We are definitely making the most out of it.

“I can’t demand a bunch of time and get all the stuff that I want because there are other guys out there and we only have a certain amount of time (each day).”

Newman, whose wife will join him in Pittsburgh in a few weeks, said he never had any fears about returning to baseball amidst the coronavirus that has been spreading rapidly throughout Allegheny County in recent days.

And, he said, his teammates feel the same.

Asked if he thought about opting out as a few players throughout MLB have decided to do, he was quick with a definitive answer.

“That wasn’t even a thought in my mind,” he said. “I want to play baseball. “Every single person has been stoked to get back here, to get back to our normal lives.”

Jerry DiPaola is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jerry by email at jdipaola@triblive.com or via Twitter .

Categories: Pirates/MLB | Sports