Wheeler rebukes reported plan to isolate players: I won't miss birth of child
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Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler has an issue with Major League Baseball's reported plan to potentially force players to live in isolation in Arizona or Florida to start the 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Wheeler isn't happy about the possibility of not having his pregnant wife, Dominique, with him. They're expecting their first baby in the summer.
"I am not going to miss the birth of my first child. I don't care," Wheeler said Friday, according to John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia. "I'm going to be there for her and the birth of my child. That's a fact.
"I think anybody would do the same thing. Any dad. Whether I have to come back here (Atlanta) and be with her and miss two more weeks because I have to quarantine to play again, so be it."
The 29-year-old pitcher doesn't believe families should be separated if and when the new campaign starts, which reportedly could happen as early as May.
"I want to be here with her during that time," he said. "It's something special. You'll never get to experience that again, the birth of your first child. They are saying your significant other would not be allowed to be with you. That makes no sense to me.
"If we're gonna be stuck in quarantine, then why can't they be stuck with us in quarantine?"