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Cardboard fans? Masks? MLB is back, but it doesn’t look real -- these photos might weird you out

Want to see what baseball looks like without fans? Check out these near-empty stadiums

Michael Hermosillo of the Los Angeles Angels catches a fly ball hit by Robbie Grossman of the Oakland Athletics for the final out of their game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on July 25, 2020. (Ezra Shaw, 2020 Getty Images)

Major League Baseball has been back in action for about a week now, depending which team is your favorite and when it had its opening day, following a months-long hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Teams had been on hold since March.

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The latest MLB news revolves around the Miami Marlins, which is dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak that could endanger the pro baseball season, said Dr. Anthony Fauci on Tuesday, as the number of their players testing positive rose to 15.

For now, the MLB has postponed all of the Marlins’ games through Sunday.

The outbreak raised new questions about the MLB’s attempts to conduct a season outside of bubble environment, which the NFL also has opted not to create for its season.

“This could put it in danger,” Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said of the outbreak in a recent report. “I don’t believe they need to stop, but we just need to follow this and see what happens with other teams on a day-by-day basis.”

Regardless of what the future holds for the Marlins, it’s strange to see all this baseball being played in masks and empty stadiums -- necessary, it seems, but still a touch eerie and surreal. Check out the following 21 photos to get a glimpse inside the parks over the past week or so.

The Oakland Athletics play against the Los Angeles Angels in an empty stadium at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on July 25, 2020 in Oakland, California. (2020 Getty Images)
A general view of the field during a game between the Miami Marlins and the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on July 25, 2020 in Philadelphia. (2020 Getty Images)
Michael A. Taylor of the Washington Nationals tries to make a play against the New York Yankees in the third inning at Nationals Park on July 25, 2020. (2020 Getty Images)
A general view of Comerica Park in the fifth inning in a game between the Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers during the home opener at Comerica Park on July 27, 2020 in Detroit. (2020 Getty Images)
A lone Boston Red Sox employee eats a hot dog in the stands before a game between the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park on July 26, 2020 in Boston. (2020 Getty Images)
A peek at Tropicana Field during a game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Atlanta Braves on July 27, 2020 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (2020 Getty Images)
Cardboard cut-out images of fans are seen as the sun sets in the third inning of play between the Colorado Rockies and the Texas Rangers on Opening Day at Globe Life Field on July 24, 2020. (2020 Getty Images)
Jackie Bradley Jr. of the Boston Red Sox takes a knee during the national anthem before a game against the Baltimore Orioles on July 25, 2020 at Fenway Park. (2020 Getty Images/Boston Red Sox)
Enrique Hernandez of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a two-run home run off Conner Menez of the San Francisco Giants, to take an 8-1 lead in the eighth inning of MLB Opening Day at Dodger Stadium, July 23, 2020. (2020 Getty Images)
A mask is placed on the Teammates Statue on Opening Day at Fenway Park on July 24, 2020 in Boston. The 2020 season had been postponed since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (2020 Getty Images)
Matt Kemp of the Colorado Rockies takes a knee during the national anthem before a game against the Texas Rangers on Opening Day at Globe Life Field on July 24, 2020 in Arlington, Texas. (2020 Getty Images)
The entire Baltimore Orioles team kneels during a Black Lives Matter demonstration prior to first pitch against the Boston Red Sox on Opening Day at Fenway Park on July 24, 2020. (2020 Getty Images)
A general view of of cardboard cutouts placed in the seats before the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium on July 25, 2020. (2020 Getty Images)
Eloy Jimenez, left, and Luis Robert of the Chicago White Sox celebrate an inning-ending catch in front of "cut-out" fans during an exhibition game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Guaranteed Rate Field on July 22, 2020. (2020 Getty Images)
Blooper, the mascot of the Atlanta Braves, sits in the empty stands to watch the exhibition game between the Atlanta Braves and the Miami Marlins at Truist Park on July 22, 2020 in Atlanta. (2020 Getty Images)
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays sits in the stands during a game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on July 21, 2020. (2020 Getty Images)
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, reacts after throwing out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the game between the New York Yankees and the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on July 23, 2020. (2020 Getty Images)
Austin Riley of the Atlanta Braves tags out Jeff McNeil of the New York Mets on a hit by the Mets' Pete Alonso during Opening Day at Citi Field on July 24, 2020. (2020 Getty Images)
The Black Lives Matter MLB logo is painted as a stencil on the mound during a pre-game ceremony before the Opening Day game between the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles on July 24, 2020 at Fenway Park. (2020 Getty Images/Boston Red Sox)
J.P. Crawford of the Seattle Mariners throws to first base over Carlos Correa of the Houston Astros to complete a double play in the second inning at Minute Maid Park on July 27, 2020. (2020 Getty Images)

With information from the Associated Press.


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