Andy Lyons/Getty Images
The Louisville Slugger Museum and factory is facing a difficult time amid the coronavirus pandemic.
On March 16, Hillerich & Bradsby, the company which makes the wooden bats, announced its museum was closed until further notice. The Associated Press (h/t NBC Sports) noted the factory closed on March 19, and the 120-foot baseball bat outside the museum features a banner saying "Flatten the Curve."
With no visitors to the museum and no bats being produced with Major League Baseball's season on hiatus, Hillerich & Bradsby CEO John Hillerich said 171 employees have been furloughed, per Alfred Miller of the Louisville Courier Journal.