Citing the potential danger of Hurricane Irma, the Florida State League has announced that it will cancel its 2017 finals. The league will instead recognize co-champions at the conclusion of its Division Series.
“Safety is our first concern for our players and staff,” Florida State League president Ken Carson said in a statement. “After consulting with the Major League Clubs of the participating teams, it was unanimously decided this was the proper thing to do.”
The league began its divisional round on Tuesday. In the North Division, the Tampa Yankees defeated the Dunedin Blue Jays in game one by a score of 8-6, while the Palm Beach Cardinals pulled off a 3-2 victory over the Fort Myers Miracle in the South Division.
The pair of best-of-three series are slated to conclude on Wednesday. If needed, the clubs will play doubleheaders to determine the outcome of their series.
This will be the first time in 13 years that the Florida State League declares co-champions. In 2004, the league declared the Yankees and the Daytona Cubs co-champions because of a hurricane.