TAMPA BAY (Rooters agency) October 7, 2021 – The Major League Baseball playoffs were thrown into confusion today when the opening game of the American League divisional series here was abruptly discontinued in the first inning.

The Rays pitcher had just begun his windup for the second pitch of the game when a dozen or more Florida state police burst onto the field, stopping play.

The police quickly handcuffed the home plate umpire and the Tampa Bay catcher, photographing both of them wearing protective masks.

At the same time, police used the stadium’s public address system to announce that the wearing of masks in public was a violation of a lawful order by Florida’s Governor, Rump Dunceitis. The game would be allowed to continue only if all involved promised that there would be no further use of “illegal” face-wear.

However, the umpires and the managers of both teams agreed that not using baseball’s traditional protective masks would be dangerous, and possibly illegal, so the game was abandoned.

MLB officials are now in conference about how to proceed. It seems most likely that the series will be moved out of Florida as quickly as that can be arranged, to a location less likely to suffer unexpected disruption. Colombia has been mentioned as one possibility.