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Happy Saturday, folks!
Early in the process, I would defintely have bet against Major League Baseball having a World Series this season.
But frankly, I’m glad I would have lost that wager. I love fall ball.
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MLB is in the final weekend of its regular season and barring some sort of unforseen distaster — please, no — post-season play is scheduled to begin on Tuesday.
In case you missed the pre-season and early-season drama: first, we had tone-deaf billionaire owners and millionaire players mostly squabbling over compensation and length of the season; and then we had COVID outbreaks and game postponements. It didn’t look good.
After 20 individuals (18 players) from the Miami Marlins organization tested positive for the coronavirus at the start of the season, MLB announced new health directives for players and coaches and added the requirement that every team travel with a compliance officer who is tasked with ensuring team staff and players adhere to the league’s health and safety protocols — like sneaking out of the hotel at night. Better late than not at all, right?
There have been very few positive Covid-19 tests of late. As of Sept. 17, 127,718 samples had been collected and tested with 99 of them — or 0.07 per cent — being positive.
This week, players and staff of teams in the running for the playoffs — including the Blue Jays, who clinched their post-season ticket on Thursday — are staying in hotels under strict Covid-19 protocols. Family members hoping to join players for the postseason will also have to quarantine for seven days.
Toronto Blue Jays players, coaches and staff celebrate a 4-1 win over the New York Yankees in a baseball game in Buffalo, N.Y., Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020. Toronto clinched a postseason berth with the win. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
The best-of-three opening rounds — called the Wild-Card Series — will be played in home parks of the higher seeds, but then action will move to bubble play.
The World Series will be at Globe Life Field in Arlington, a retractable roof stadium with artificial turf that opened this year adjacent to the Rangers’ old ballpark.
The American League Championship Series will be at San Diego’s Petco Park, and the NLCS at Globe Life.
The AL Division Series will be at San Diego and Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium, and the NL Division Series at Globe Life and Houston’s Minute Maid Park.
And after playing the entire regular season in empty ballparks, MLB hopes to be allowed to have about 25 per cent capacity for post-season games at Arlington, where total capacity is about 40,000.
Kudos to baseball for getting this far and it no longer feels like an asterisk season. Let’s all hope the drama now stays on the field.
Have a great weekend and as always if you want to get in touch, reply to this mailing or send me an email here.
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