Believe it or not, the Phillies are currently finding that they have a golden opportunity to deal with this year’s decade-long playoff drought.

With 70 games left in the next two months or so, the Phillies ranked second, only 2.5 games behind the New York Mets, which ranked first in the Eastern Conference of the National League. The Phillies have not won a division championship since 2011, and they seem to be aggressively improving the lineup before the July 30 trade deadline.

But in classic Philly fashion, the team always seems to find ways to make things more difficult than they need.And it looks like the team’s Hesitating about vaccination The fight against COVID-19 may eventually undermine the progress of the playoffs.

Nearly half of the 26 Phillies’ active-duty roster refused to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. According to the inquirer, According to reports, leaving the ownership and the front desk are “feared” and “angry” about another coronavirus outbreak that may prevent the Phillies from participating in the October baseball game.

As news came that so many players have not yet been vaccinated against COVID-19, Highly infectious Delta variants continue to spread across the country, Leading to an increase in the number of infections, hospitalizations and deaths among people who have not been vaccinated.

Major League Baseball players and coaches are not required to be vaccinated against COVID-19. However, if 85% of the players, coaches and club staff of a team are vaccinated, they are eligible for a relaxed COVID-19 health and safety protocol.

Fully vaccinated players do not need to conduct contact tracing. Players and coaches do not have to wear equipment to track close contacts.

But the Phillies are one of seven MLB teams that are still below the 85% threshold. It seems unlikely that they will reach this number this year, and manager Joe Girardi (Joe Girardi) has almost stated that position earlier this month.

“I don’t think you can ask the players to do this,” Girardi Say“I think it’s a personal choice. You have to deal with it. That’s it. I mean, you might have such small things more frequently than the vaccinated team. You just pray that they are either false positives or People nearby don’t understand. I mean, this is your prayer. But at the same time, sometimes you have to lose players who don’t necessarily own it. This is the frustrating part.”

There are so many players who choose not to be vaccinated against COVID-19, tThe Phillies are at a disadvantage in the competitionIf there is another outbreak of COVID-19 in the clubhouse, it is easy to derail the pennant game or playoff series. For a team that broke out at this point, Major League Baseball will not slow down or stop, and players can use the COVID-19 vaccine extensively.

The Phillies have felt this competitive disadvantage this season, although it has not yet reached its maximum level.

Alec Bohm Tested positive earlier this month When the Phillies faced the Red Sox in Boston, the other three players-starter Aaron Nola and substitutes Connor Brogdon and Bailey Falter-were isolated and entered as close contacts COVID-19 list.

All four players were not vaccinated. Last weekend, Falter and Brogdon returned to the team. On Tuesday night, when the Phillies played two games against the Yankees, Nora had to miss two starts and will be on the Bronx mound. Bohm is expected to return to Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night.

Considering the breakout time of the All-Star weekend, the Phillies have a little bit escaped. But if something similar happens later this year, it may completely reverse the situation in the playoffs.

Despite this, some Phillies have no plans to vaccinate in the short term. According to reports, the club has shown “so meager” leadership in this matter, making the ownership and front desk “upset”.

“I don’t think it will motivate anyone. It’s a personal choice,” Nora, who has not pitched for two weeks now, Friday said, And added that despite the recent panic, he still does not plan to be vaccinated. “Then I won’t talk about it. I don’t know what other people are doing. I think you just need to be careful.”

According to reports, many of the Phillies clubs are motivated by some “influential” players to oppose vaccination. Sports meetingSome people claim that by having been infected with COVID-19 and developing antibodies to achieve herd immunity, as an adequate protection against the virus.

Rescuers Brandon Kinzler and Archie Bradley and shortstop Didi Gregorius and other veterans blamed the side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine for the injuries.

Phillies Spent the burst in their spring training facility Last summer in Clearwater, Florida. Due to the league’s COVID-19 health and safety agreement, they had 8 players and coaches absent in April.

The absence of four players due to COVID-19 this month has not affected the Phillies’ recent momentum. But for a team planning to host the playoffs at Citizens Bank Park this fall, another outbreak may be costly.