Coronavirus-infected Justin Turner ditches mask to party with Dodgers teammates

Lee Moran

Justin Turner was pulled from the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup during the eighth inning of their World Series-clinching Game 6 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday after testing positive for the coronavirus.

But despite Turner’s diagnosis, the Dodgers’ third baseman returned to the field at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, following the victory to celebrate with teammates.

Turner was filmed removing his mask:

He posed for a photo with teammates, without his mask:

Turner hugged teammates:

And embraced his wife, Kourtney Pogue:

Dodgers’ right fielder Mookie Betts defended Turner’s return to the field.

“He’s part of the team,” Betts said, per ESPN. “Forget all that, he’s part of the team. We’re not excluding him from anything.”

Critics on Twitter, however, questioned why Turner was allowed back to celebrate and how he’d contracted the virus, given the bubbles that Major League Baseball teams were placed into in the postseason.

Turner has not responded to the criticism of his maskless return.

Following his removal from the game, however, he did thank fans for reaching out:

  • This article originally appeared on HuffPost.

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