TORONTO. – “Take me out to the ball game” in the midst of a pandemic will mean a trip to the living room and a spot on the sofa to watch Major League Baseball when the COVID-19 interrupted season finally gets underway on Thursday.
Regarded as the US national pastime, ball parks that would be filled with fans and buzzing with excitement on opening day will stand empty as the country struggles to contain the virus that has claimed more than 140,000 American lives.
MLB makes its return midsummer having been forced to shut down mid-March during Spring training, with the New York Yankees visiting the World Series champion Washington Nationals and the Dodgers hosting the San Francisco Giants.
What in a normal season would mark the start of a 162-game marathon for MLB’s 30 clubs will instead be a 60-game sprint with a few new twists.
To speed up play and prevent overtaxing pitchers, extra-inning play will begin with a runner on second base.
Pitchers will also no longer bat this season with the designated hitter rule used by the American League applied to the National League as well.
While the NBA, NHL and MLS will restart their seasons in hub cities under quarantine bubbles, Major League Baseball teams will fly across the country and play in their own stadiums– except the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Blue Jays found themselves looking for a US home base last week after the Canadian government rejected a request for an exemption to allow them and opponents to cross the Canada/US border – that remains closed to non-essential travel – without observing the mandatory 14-day self-quarantine.
Even with more than 100 pages of health and safety protocols, some players don’t like what they see or hear and have opted to sit out the season with MLB’s blessing.
Those with under-lying conditions deemed high-risk will be paid. Others like David Price will not— the Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher giving up his $12 million salary. — Reuters
