Major League Baseball recently announced their plans to move forward with a shortened 2020 season in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred imposed a 60-game season after months of negotiations between the league and the MLB Players Association (MLBPA).
After the two sides finalized the health and safety protocols, the players began reporting for a second “spring” training this week. As it stands, MLB 2020 Opening Day will take place on July 23, but an official schedule has not been released.
The league is expected to announce the regular season schedule next week after the MLBPA agrees, according to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the schedule will be released on Monday. In the meantime, here is a review of what we already know about the 2020 MLB season schedule:
The schedule will have a regional basis
MLB teams will play 40 games within their division and 20 interleague games. The teams would only face division rivals and the corresponding geographic division in the other league to maintain the regional games. For example, the Astros and Dodgers will play each other, just like other teams in AL West and NL West.
This will limit travel, hoping to reduce the possibility of a COVID-19 outbreak. The new regional schedule will also eliminate the need for flights across the country during the regular season.
Yankees-Nationals on opening day
The highlight of opening day will be the Yankees at Nationals Park against the defending World Series champions. It is a matchup that will likely feature an ace between Gerrit Cole of the Yankees and Max Scherzer of the Nationals. The Dodgers are expected to host the rival Giants in the other nationally televised game on July 23, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
Last season, the Yankees had 103 wins in the regular season and hit 306 home runs before losing to the Astros in six games at ALCS. The Nationals, of course, fled last year in the postseason, defeating the Brewers in the National League Wild Card Game, the Dodgers in five games in the NLDS and sweeping the Cardinals before beating the Astros in seven games. in the World Series.
Red Sox at Fenway for Opening Day
The Red Sox will reportedly begin their 2020 campaign at Fenway Park. The Red Sox started their second round of training camp on Friday. The club opened the camp with 48 players selected for its group of 60 eligible players for the season.
The Red Sox will enter the shortened season with a Mookie Betts-free roster for the first time in six years after the club traded their home MVP to the Dodgers. They will also enter the 2020 season with the luggage of a poster theft scandal and a new manager at Ron Roenicke.
White Sox-Cardinals game for Field of Dreams?
As it stands, MLB is moving forward with the plan to play at the ‘Field of Dreams’ stadium in Dyersville, Iowa. The game is scheduled for August 13 at the diamond where the movie ‘Field of Dreams’ was filmed in 1988. The game was originally slated to be a matchup between the New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox. But now, the Cardinals could replace the Yankees in the game, as a Yankees-White Sox series would run counter to the spirit of the MLB relaunch schedule, which limits teams to play with their divisional rivals and geographic counterparts. .
The league announced that construction on the site continues amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The plan was for the stadium to hold up to 8,000 fans, but it is unlikely that any will be able to attend. An official announcement has yet to be made.
