Major League Baseball and the Players Association have agreed to resume play this season with a 60-game schedule. According to baseball insider @jonheyman, teams will play 40 division games and 20 interleague games.
Players have until July 1 to report to training camps with the season starting either July 23 or 24. The owners and players have battled over the number of games, how players will be paid and more importantly, will the conditions be safe.
Mark Feinsand @feinsand of mlb.com stated players will be tested upon arriving at camp. If a player tests positive for COVID-19, that player will immediately be quarantined for 14 days. Two negative tests in a row will be required to report back to the team.
Another change in the game involves how extra innings are played. To avoid the 15 inning marathons, a player will be placed on second base to begin the inning, giving each team an opportunity to win. The designated hitter will be used in BOTH leagues, officially for safety reasons; unofficially because we would rather see hitters hit and pitchers pitch.
So we finally have sports coming back. In a sports crazed country, this is a welcomed site. We get a chance to see @mookiebetts in a @dodgers uniform. Will @GerritCole45 live up to his $324 million contract?
But at what price do we pay for wanting something that we crave so much? Since Commissioner Rob Manfred announced the league's return, more players and employees associated with MLB teams have tested positive for COVID-19. The Philadelphia Phillies announced Tuesday they have two players and two staffers that tested positive for the corona virus. In one week, 40 players and staff tested positive for COVID-19. How does that translate for the near future? Where will training camps take place? Florida and Arizona, states where all MLB teams have spring training facilities, have seen a massive increase in the number of COVID-19 diagnoses. In a year that has combined the 1918 Flu pandemic, the 1929 economic crash and the 1960's Civil Rights Movement, nothing should be taken for granted and expect the unexpected.