Clayton Kershaw, MLB (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Major League Baseball is going to play a 60-game regular season in 2020, and it’s going to be absolute, utter chaos to watch.
Ready for a pennant race on Opening Day? Here it comes.
Major League Baseball is planning a 60-game season to start on either July 23 or 24, and when it does, chaos will reign. Teams which are projected as terrible will be fighting for, and in some cases, earning, playoff berths over other squads with far more talented rosters.
Ready for the Kansas City Royals to win the American League Central? Ready for the New York Yankees to finish third in the AL East? Bring on the crazy.
Hell, we’re going to have the designated hitter in the National League for the first time. Oh, if you’re a traditionalist breathing easy because it’s only a trial run, you might want to sit down for this: the DH is here to stay, because the MLBPA is never going to give back high-salary positions again.
MLB’s 2020 season is going to be a circus
For a sport which proudly trumpets the idea of a marathon weeding out the flukes, none of that is coming in 2020. Last year at the conclusion of June 6, every team had played at least 60 games
These would have been the playoff teams:
American League
AL East: New York Yankees
AL Central: Minnesota Twins
AL West: Houston Astros
AL Wild Card 1: Tampa Bay Rays
AL Wild Card 2: Texas Rangers
National League
NL East: Philadelphia Phillies
NL Central: Chicago Cubs
NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers
NL Wild Card 1: Milwaukee Brewers
NL Wild Card 2: Atlanta Braves
You may have done the quick math. All three AL division winners were the same at season’s end, but the Oakland Athletics replaced the Rangers and then hosted the AL Wild Card Game before losing to the Rays.
Not a huge difference, right?
However, the NL looks hilariously different. The Washington Nationals, the eventual World Series champion, isn’t in the picture. Also the Phillies and Cubs both missed the playoffs entirely, with the St. Louis Cardinals and Braves winning their respective divisions.
Here’s another question, how do we view stats from this season? If Christian Yelich hits .402, is he now considered to have usurped Ted Williams as the most modern player to hit above .400? If someone wins the Triple Crown, does that matter as it did when Miguel Cabrera did so a few years ago?
Settle in for is surely going to be the strangest MLB season we’ve ever seen.