It’s apparent that Major League Baseball and its teams must find a way to overcome the alarming number of games that have been suspended over the first week of the season due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
While this is unlikely to change a whole lot in the grand scheme of things, MLB and its players have changed the format of doubleheaders for the remainder of the 2020 season.
MLB announces seven-inning doubleheaders moving forward this season
A report broke earlier this week that things were trending in this direction after the Miami Marlins, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals all had games postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak within the league.
Interestingly enough, we will likely see our first seven-inning doubleheader on Sunday. The Milwaukee Brewers home opener against the St. Louis Cardinals scheduled for Friday was postponed after at least one positive COVID-19 test within the Cardinals’ organization. They are slated to make that game up as part of a twin bill Sunday.
COVID-19 and the Major League Baseball season
A total of 20% of teams around MLB have seen games suspended throughout the first week of the 2020 season. That’s alarming. The issue here is an inability to make these games up during a shortened season. Each team has only six off days during their 60-game schedule. Doubleheaders will have to be the name of the game moving forward.
As for the outbreak itself, more than half of the Miami Marlins’ roster has tested positive for COVID-19. It speaks to the issues of attempting to play a season outside of a bubble during a pandemic that is still raging throughout the United States.
Whether the 2020 season will even be completed is now completely up in the air. It’s all about how MLB gains control of the virus and whether we see more outbreaks.