MINNEAPOLIS, MN- MAY 5: MLB commissioner Rob Manfred speaks prior to the game between the Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox on May 5, 2017 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Twins defeated the Red Sox 4-3. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images)
MLB is adding another quirky rule for the 2020 season.
The 2020 MLB season appeared to be in jeopardy this week with the news concerning the Miami Marlins. Nearly 20 individuals have tested positive for COVID-19 and both the NL East and AL East are facing schedule complications.
This means there are going to be plenty of doubleheaders played in August and September for teams such as the Marlins and the Philadelphia Phillies to get close to playing 60 games. Teams not reaching a full 60 games will be another problem for the league to address.
For now, one solution has been agreed upon, and it may anger some fans.
Another new MLB rule
Get ready for seven-inning doubleheaders beginning in August! This is another rule borrowed from the minor leagues and it actually makes sense if teams are going to need to play nearly a full 60-game schedule in two months.
This also means the eighth inning of these games will begin with a runner on second base. That rule is its own separate discussion.
Change is never easy and baseball traditionalists may lose their minds with this new doubleheader rule. Overall statistics will be affected, and the legitimacy of a seven-inning no-hitter or perfect game will be called into question.
But fans will just have to accept the changes this year. Even playing a season is a minor miracle and what happened with the Marlins shows how fragile the whole situation is right at the start. Shortening games by two innings only for doubleheaders also prevents injuries that can arise from the stopping and starting of play in 2020.
Fans will just have to chalk up this year as a weird one and enjoy the chaos.