Hurricane Maria damages Puerto Rico stadium set for Indians-Twins in 2018
Hurricane Maria tore through Puerto Rico on Wednesday, and the Category 4 storm left the country with significant property damage.
Among that is Hiram Bithorn Stadium - the venue set to host the Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins for a two-game series in April - which has been left with outfield fences knocked down and flooded dugouts.
Desde SJ: Los camerinos del estadio Hiram Bithorn están completamente inundados. @VoceroPR pic.twitter.com/b3PVS7P2sN
— Yamaira Muñiz (@yamairamuniz) September 20, 2017
Desde SJ: Serios destrozos en el estadio Hiram Bithorn tras El Paso del huracán María. @VoceroPR pic.twitter.com/P2VvTsqicY
— Yamaira Muñiz (@yamairamuniz) September 20, 2017
The statue of Hiram Bithorn, the first MLB player from Puerto Rico, was also knocked down.
Cleanup of the island is currently focused on search-and-rescue efforts, with the Associated Press reporting it will take weeks - if not months - to restore power.
So, with more important priorities occupying resources, it's unclear whether the baseball series will be put into jeopardy. The teams are scheduled to play a two-game set on April 17 and 18.
The last time MLB scheduled games in Puerto Rico, a Pittsburgh Pirates-Miami Marlins series was canceled back in 2016 because of concerns over the Zika virus.