MLB
brass and players have accomplished they haven’t been able to do easily in recent history – agree on something. As the league met with members of the MLB Players Association (MLBPA) yesterday, they came up with a solution to finish out the current season, making changes to the playoffs that will see more games added in the run for the World Series title. It’s a move that should make both players and fans happy.
Now, instead of ten teams in the playoffs, there will be 16. All six divisions in the MLB will send their second-place teams to the playoffs, with the seventh and eighth playoff teams from each league determined by who has the best record at the end of the modified regular season. Explains MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred in a statement, “This season will be a sprint to a new format that will allow more fans to experience playoff baseball. We look forward to a memorable Postseason concluding a year like no other.”
The postseason will start with its first round on September 29 to October 2. This round will include four three-game series for each league, the American League (AL) and National League (NL), and the higher-seeded team will have home-field advantage. Following this, the normal playoff structure will be seen, with divisions holding five-game series leading up to the leagues’ finals. The AL and NL Championship Series, as well as the World Series, will both be best-of-seven tournaments. Tony Clark, the executive director of the MLBPA, is supportive of the changes, and states, “We hope it will result in highly competitive pennant races as well as exciting additional playoff games to the benefit of the industry and all involved heading into next year.”
What hasn’t been officially released, but provided by an unofficial source to the Associated Press, is that there won’t be any luxury tax owed this year. This tax, also known as the Competitive Balance Tax, is paid annually by each club once it surpasses a predetermined payroll threshold. For 2020, that threshold was $208 million, an $11-million increase over the past two years. That could be good news for some clubs, since the league has agreed to allocate $50 million to players, which will be given out following each round of postseason action, and which could be increased if fans are allowed to hit the stands.
MLB action got underway yesterday as four teams faced off to mark the start of the modified, 60-game regular season. The New York Yankees took on the defending champions Washington Nationals, winning 4-1. The LA Dodgers met the San Francisco Giants, cruising to an 8-1 victory. Dr. Anthony Fauci, who has led the US on its coronavirus-combatting efforts, threw out the first pitch for the Nats and to say that he put a new definition on curveball would be an understatement, as seen in a video tweeted by ESPN.
