Mike Clevinger issues apology after breaking COVID-19 protocols

Mike Clevinger apologized after going out late with Zach Plesac.

Cleveland Indians pitchers Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac received a few slaps on the wrist after going out late at night in Chicago, a direct violation of the rules established to minimize the chance of a COVID-19 outbreak. With the Marlins and Cardinals already having been infected, the two pitchers’ poor judgment caused them to get placed on the restricted list as they self-isolate.

Clevinger issued an apology after breaking these protocols, claiming that he “broke the trust” he and his teammates shared during the pandemic while vowing to better abide by these rules in the future.

Mike Clevinger will play an integral part in the Cleveland rotation.

Clevinger, who has a 3.20 career ERA acquired over the course of his first four seasons in the league, assumed the No. 2 starter role behind Shane Bieber after the trade of Trevor Bauer to the Cincinnati Reds. Cleveland’s rotation is one of the few bright spots on this team right now, and any hopes they have for contending begin and end with Clevinger and that group of starting pitchers.

The league is already paranoid about safety, but choosing to go out while one MLB team is still unable to play due to such a high number of COVID-19 cases is as bone-headed a move as humanly possible. Hopefully these two learn from this.

The Indians are managed by an older man in Terry Francona dealing with a stomach condition that has prevented him from managing a few times this season. One of Cleveland’s starting pitchers is Carlos Carrasco, fresh off of a battle with leukemia. The fact that Plesac and Clevinger still decided to violate the league’s protocols to have a night out on the town considering the health risks on their team is nothing short of baffling.