Doolittle doubts fan attendance: Sports are 'reward of a functioning society'

Washington Nationals closer Sean Doolittle believes the United States hasn't done anything in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic that would warrant fans returning to ballparks this season.

"We're trying to bring back baseball during a pandemic that's killed 130,000 people," Doolittle said Sunday when asked about some owners suggesting spectators could attend games in 2020, according to Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post. "We're way worse off as a country than in March when we shut this thing down. ... We haven't done any of the things that other countries have done to bring sports back. Sports are like the reward of a functioning society.

"And were trying to just bring it back, even though we've taken none of the steps to flatten the curve. ... If you want to watch baseball, please wear a mask, social distance, (and) keep washing your hands."

Doolittle also wasn't happy about how talks between Major League Baseball and the players' association shifted from health and safety to money amid the pandemic.

"The focus was trying to jam in a new salary structure in the middle of a pandemic. ... It felt tone-deaf. It felt gross," Doolittle said, according to Todd Dybas of NBC Sports Washington.

The left-hander said the Nationals still haven't received their PPE gear yet, which includes masks and gloves, according to Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic.

The 33-year-old also acknowledged that he's still waiting for a COVID-19 test result from Friday, Buster Olney of ESPN adds.

"We've got to clean that up, right?" Doolittle said about the testing delay.

He later clarified his comments on Twitter.