7:01pm: An agreement has been reached, per Jeff Passan of ESPN. Seven-inning doubleheaders will take effect Aug. 1.
6:12pm: Major League Baseball and the union are moving toward an agreement on 2020 doubleheaders, Ken Rosenthal and Jayson Stark of The Athletic reports. If the two sides reach a deal, doubleheaders would consist of a pair of seven-inning games, but it would only be for this year, according to Rosenthal and Stark.
The idea behind this would be for teams to preserve their pitchers, per Rosenthal and Stark, and it could give every team a better chance of finishing its 60-game schedule during a pandemic-shortened season.
Teams such as the Marlins, Phillies, Yankees and Blue Jays have already seen their scheduled heavily altered just a week into the season because of coronavirus concerns. Neither Miami nor Philadelphia has played at all this week, and neither will take the field again until Tuesday at the earliest. As a result, they’ll have plenty of ground to make up over the next several weeks. Seven-inning doubleheaders could make it easier for them to catch up.
This season is all jacked up.
I was glad knowing baseball was coming back in July. I couldn’t wait.
This is not baseball.
I’ll watch it because baseball has been a major part of my life.
But this crap stops in 2021. That goes for the intentional walk. You have to throw the pitches.
Intentional walk rule was changed last year
This is the FOURTH season of the intentional walk rule that you don’t have to pitch to the batter.
They need to get rid of this new “Interleague” stuff while they’re at it. And night games.
Need to get rid of these new helmet things too
Why pick such a silly hill to die on?
They probably wish Tal’s hill in Houston was such a thing
It’s not a silly hill. It is a buildup of minor tweaks that suddenly builds into something much bigger. This will continue. Start looking for a hill.
C’mon man, life is short, don’t sweat the meaningless stuff! Baseball is here!
Need to go back to fielders being bare-handed and the batters whittling their own bats from an old table leg.
The phrase, “rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic”, comes to mind.
Did the Marlins eff that up too?
can the compromise include removing the runner on 2nd rule for these games?
If anything we need to put the runner at 3rd now
In fact, let’s just spot the away team 2 runs and go straight to the home team hitting
Why not end all games after the inning that starts 1 hour after first pitch? This is all little league crap and the season is just not up to major league standards.
I’m just waiting to see some sub .500 team make the playoffs, get hot and win the series.
if a playoff team gets beat by a sub .500 team then they didnt deserve to be in the playoffs. if that team beats every team in their way (which would be unlikely with random luck) then maybe they deserved to be there.
I agree. People are already forgetting the team that won the series las year was 6 games under .500 last year after 60 games.
Even worse—-19-31 after 50 games. 12 under.
I mean, you could say that about any playoff format. What if every team made the postseason? “If the Tigers get hot for a couple days then they just deserved it more than the Astros.”
@DarkSide830
With that reasoning, every team should just make the playoffs and the regular season shouldn’t even count.
You miss the point, though. Players opting out, players getting Covid 19. It creates an uneven playing field. Dodgers, Nats got burned particularly bad.
It’s a season, but more like one between exhibition and regular.
MJ are you auditioning for a job at the Commissioner’s office? Because I think they like the innovative ideas you’re bringing to the table here.
Why not 5-inning triple headers? Can get whole extra game in with only 1 more inning.
You could have one pitcher start two games! Brilliant Doug!!
Darkside- Good point.
thought the same
You’ve got to wonder why they didn’t agree on 6-inning doubleheader games. Where’s the magic in 7? You can understand from the players’ perspective that the fewer innings you have to play for your salary, the better. Why play for 9 when I can get paid the same for 7? But how about TV revenue for owners—will TV pay the same for 7 innings as they currently do for 9?
Just wait until the end of the season, if the backlog of games to makeup keeps growing we could be seeing sudden death games before this is over.
Marlins are gonna do 10 home run derbys in one day to end the season.
They do 7 inning double headers in the minors. Have for years..
Because with 7 you’ll get to sing “Take me out to the ball game” during the 7th inning stretch twice. You’d look an idiot singing it after 6 innings of course…
(Note: yes, I’m being sarcastic. It’s a dumb rule.)
There’s precedent with 7 innings. Like the extra inning rule, other levels have been using it for years.
There is precedent for having kegs of beer at first base from softball leagues. Does that mean they should have it in the majors too?
You are all thinking about this the wrong way. it’s perfect for a Seagram’s 7 Crown and 7-up sponsorship. 7&7’s become the official drink of MLB 2020. Pass it on.
I’m in favor of the beer. Make it mandatory in extra innings, skip the extra runner.
Yes!
With the game lasting 7 innings i would say the commercial slots would be worth more and I would charge more since there is less to go around with there being 2 innings less barring extras. If they want to advertise during a baseball game then mlb has a monopoly here.
There was only one goal for 2020….make fat stacks….MLB has less conscious than Walter White….
again, players had and have a chance to opt out, and only about a dozen total did.
Yes, good point about the players too. Management takes the blame, but all this takes two sides. And politics in MLB should be banned. I watch it to enjoy myself by getting away from that nonsense.
Politics has always been part of sports. Why would any human being be against social justice?
Oh the things that are being peddled under that label these days
Good point, since no one is against social justice i dont see the need to push social justice into the games.
Really? Walter White? Wow.
You’re a gypsy.
I highly doubt any team in the league is going to make fat stacks this year considering no gate, no concessions and no parking.
Post season tv $$$ will make up for everything they’re missing out on, or else, they would have never started back up….
It gives them a profit but a profit is just over breaking even. That does not equal stacks of cash for all teams
“Conscience” maybe?
Wonder if they’re going to flip a coin to break a tie in a doubleheader game…
Not sure baseball will ever be the same after all this
guess it means nothing that this is a one year thing?
If you don’t think all these “one year ideas” aren’t test runs for something theyre tryinf before selling the players on in the next CBA I’ve got some real estate for sale you should buy.
i mentioned this lower in the comments section, but its worth noting that these changes could not be as effective as they think and they give up on them, or the ones they do push get rejected by the PA. Honestly , they can play this game. im sure these rules wolnt have the affect they think they will.
It won’t be. Too many changes and some will inevitably remain. Should’ve canceled this season, IMHO.
again, PA voted to have these rules for one year. if things are normal scheduling wise next year you wolnt see any come back. maybe they get bounced around in the CBA but no guarantees they go through there.
Just one year, it will hopefully business as usual next year.
Just got to role with the punches this year
When do we switch to tee ball? What a joke.
This season is starting to look like a Monty Python sketch. Any number of them come to mind.
Let me know when you see any Blanc Manges from Skyron. We have to protect tradition at least at Wimbledon.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! If the home team is winning, when do you sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”?
My family was a Devil Rays season ticket holder from day one, grew up in New England to be transparent. I’m a baseball fan and if there is a major league game in the area I’m going(out in Cali now), that and uppers were 3 bucks a seat for season tickets. But no matter how bad the game was and how long it took the D-Rays to get those outs I always stayed till Take Me Out to the Ballgame. I feel you…
The 5th inning stretch, of course! 🙂
I’d rather have teams end with 55ish games
Will the fat lady sing?
No, too busy taking all their fat stacks to the bank. You were referencing Manfred and his puppet masters weren’t you?
Only in Philadelphia if they can resurrect Kate Smith. That’s the only chance the Phillies have.
That’s dumb. They are definitely watering down the season
i mean its 2020. how normal were you expecting things to be.
Queue the Benny Hill music.
The players told the fans to drop dead and their actions speak louder than words. Honestly they have went out of their way to bankrupt the league. The steroids, video cheating and players telling the fans to die. It just goes to show how many terrible people can exist in this world
um…what?
So, the list of ridiculous rule changes grows:
-extra innings start with a guy on 2nd
-BP pitchers must face 3 batters
-double headers are two 7 inning games
What did I miss?
Baseball is becoming a novelty sport for the short attention span viewer.
NL DH.
Ahhh, yes. Thanks. Although that one doesn’t intentionally shorten the game so it doesn’t bother me as much. I still like the purity of the pitcher batting and that specific difference between the leagues. Actually I’m not sure why that one was implemented as a result of COVID.
To limit pitcher injuries and offer the MLBPA an extra hitting roster spot, thus more opportunity for their members this year. Yet I feel it may be here to stay, which bothers me a bit…
And you missed underhand pitching….. or is that next year?
Limit pitcher injuries? I call that a fallacy. There is absolutely no evidence over the last 50 years of the DH in the American League that American League pitchers had significantly fewer injuries than their NL counterparts. None.
I would have preferred 33-man rosters on double-header days. The visiting team could use their taxi squad, and home team could add 3 players, with the same restrictions.
Can we start putting asterisks on this season yet?
2*2*
How much ‘integrity’ is there going to be in the season results if for the next 2 weeks some teams get to play against the AAA-minor league version of the Miami Marlins and pad their win totals and then those Coronavirus players come back later in the year and other teams have to play against actual MLB players?
Too be fair, MLB is lucky it’s the Marlins, who are already a decent AAA team as it is, and not the Dodgers or Yanks.
Hate it. Stupid. A baseball game isn’t 7 innings. Worse. Commissioner. Ever!!!!
I concur
You can’t blame the commissioner solely, the Player’s Association agreed to this.
Also, all you grouchy retirees need to relax. Both sides are trying to make this work given the circumstances. If you can’t handle or don’t like the changes then don’t tune in. Also, it would help if you all went somewhere else to post because you are all getting a bit redundant.
Some of us are quite happy we have some semblance of a season, warts an all. With the world the way it is, it is nice to have some normalcy.
Get over it!
I don’t think both sides are trying to make this work (for baseball). They are both trying to maximize profit and none truly care about the sport. That went away decades ago, which is why sports are so politicized in every aspect.
Plenty of players care about the game. The fact they make so much is an added bonus for them.
If they didn’t care I don’t they’d be putting so much effort in to their craft: the countless hours in the training room, the drills, etc.
There will be no profit from this 60 game season. Owners realized taking the year off would really damage the future of the sport, and cost them more in the long run.
AMEN !
I had to scroll thru about 70 comments before I finally found this gem-
The rest was just a toxic landfill
The redundancy is brutal as well as you put
Sorry I have finally found out how to have shorter games with more offense
I get your point, and I’m just being deliberately facetious, but sometimes it’s as low as 5 innings if there’s a rain out. (P.s. I hate the new rule, as I think it is an excuse to be able to ease it in as a rule in subsequent years, not just for this year. I think that goes for some of the other stupid rules they’ve introduced too.)
I’m ready for the short game rule. Back in my day, I think it was 15 after 3, and 10 after 5.
What happens if one of the games is tied after 7? They go to the 8th? New extra inning rule with runner on 2nd? Game ends in a tie?
Just saw Passan’s tweet. 8th inning with runner on 2nd.
honestly don’t know why games arent just ties after extras. that’s better than the runner rule
Reminds of rec softball games I used to play. It was a day of several pickup games which would go seven innings each. Unlimited pinch runners (some old guys had bad knees) and no sliding at homeplate. One dude would set up his charcoal barbecue grill by the field and sell $5 burgers with a Gatorade. Fun times.
Has the team Mom rule been passed? Juice boxes and snacks between games, rides back to the hotel and maybe, maybe they’ll stop for ice cream.
Oh joy. More garbage.
This sport was already in trouble. It’s never going to recover from this season. Baseball is over.
the rules will be back to normal next year, but okay
Guarantee they won’t be. They will keep chipping away at it. They’re using this season as a test to see what works. Make no mistake, they are analyzing every second of every broadcast to see where people tune out. If the runner at 2nd in xtras keeps more watching, it will be back in.
well it will be debated again,and i cant imagine it’s going to be as easy next year. the players probably dont want these rules as much as we do. and its important to note that there’s a high likelihood that none of the rules have any affect on viewership. if they dont id actually be happy they tried and failed with these things this year so they dont have to nag about them going forward.
Take off the tin foil hat. MLB won’t have 7 inning games or 10 inning runner on 2nd next season.
Only if there is a vaccine and no one releases Covid-20
ill reiterate my previous sentiment on this – if we’re still in this same societal situation next year then we have bigger issues then sports to deal with.
Why don’t they just put a tee on home plate and be done with it. Their greed truly has no bounds – anything to keep salaries and revenues, even if it means destroying a game and losing a generation of fans.
To quote the great Lon Simmons: Tell it goodbye.
Cry baby!
Pitching machines soon……
From Jayson Stark
I’m hearing #Phillies players have been told to isolate if possible while they await test results and more daily testing.
Yesterday, multiple players were around the coach who learned he’d tested positive today. So wouldn’t that mean they shouldn’t play for at least 5 more days?
Bring back double headers
Pay for one stay for two
“Let’s play two!”
This season is pay for one, get NONE. Since many teams are holding season ticket money for ‘next season’ Some even said if you push for a refund you won’t be guaranteed the same seats should you try to purchase tix next season.
They are. except now it’s lets play 1 and 1/2 games!
as if there will be a season!
do you see the games in right now?
Who are all these posters that thought the season would be a perfect compilation of sunshine and balloons? Learn to adapt people. It’s a vital life skill.
they’re right here, posting about “this is not my baseball” or some garbage. I agree. its 2020. things are and will be weird. suck it up.
I’m ready for a bunch of early games. Start playing at noon or 1 instead of normal time. Spread the games out more so we can catch more of it.
I wrote things that you ppl are bringing up on yesterdays post of rule changes..
Baseball has become a “live action” video game.
i mean, basketball is already a live action fantasy league, so…
I think I called this some time ago. Complete necessity for 2020, really not a bad idea for the future, day-to-day night doubles excepted. Moses didn’t come down from Sinai with a requirement for nine inning games.
Now get rid of the super ball and end all those 3-outcome at bats.
I was excited for this season but have already abandoned watching the games. Why bother winning a World Series victory without a parade and with a nice asterisks next to it?
tribepride. How long have you been a baseball fan? I’ve been a Dodger fan since ’68. Even with the team being so good, my enthusiasm for baseball is way done. With the other sports, I knew when it was over for me. I don’t feel that way about baseball yet but can see it happening. As it is, I just want this “season” to go away.
So much for the little league World Series being cancelled. I guess it was just postponed until October.
Eh, people watch too much spectator sports as it is. Maybe this pandemic will be a blessing in that way. People will get involved in living rather than watch other folks do stuff. Overall, life without sports hasn’t been so bad. I’m watching Dodger games, but would be okay without it. The other sports? Zero interest.
Same here. I’ve taken up reading again. Much more entertaining than watching sports. One good thing has definitely come from this pandemic.
tribe, me too. Funny, I just responded to you up top. For all the negative stuff we hear about the pandemic, I am seeing good stuff in my neighborhood. While we maintain social distance, people have never been friendlier. I’ve lived here for four years and hadn’t talked to anyone until I started taking my dog on longer walks. It’s been wonderful in that way.
What I don’t get are all the super negative comments…? I guess some of you have melded the owner vs player vs covid…?
MLB has gotten the fans a 60g season…. But it seems like a of of posts just want armageddon…? As a 40 yr baseball and Phillies fan; I just want some baseball….?
Do you people…?
Dodger fan for 53 years. I can take it or leave it. Since sports disappeared, I find myself getting interested in other stuff.
Yup same Bs crowd that was probably claiming collusion in 2018 to get Harper and Machado overpayed all the while blue the blue collar guy gets a pay cut to make the room-
These guys just need something to be mad about…its sick
I’m ok with this. They often play 7- inning doubleheaders in the minor leagues. In college baseball they’ll play a 9+7, 9+9, or 7+7 doubleheader, depending on the visiting team’s schedule and whether the DH was scheduled or it was the result of a postponed game.
This season just has so many changes, but I know they’re just trying to make it work in a tough time. Think of it as having to get another take- out meal from your favorite dine-in restaurant.
DH Teams decide if they want to use DH in Game
You want 7 inning baseball?.the game is getting pretty close to the last swirl of the toilet
Admit it. You’re ticked off by Matz serving up a meatball to Vazquez on an 0-2 pitch. Frustrating pitcher to watch.
After the new stupid rules they put in this yr,even before the covid19/anti-president virus,i was not too into the season,this rule makes me give less of a crap now.. its idiotic.. if im home i just flip back after whatever im watching goes into commercial..when im out i dont even check the scores..if i ever get back to work i have no desire to check scores… never thought in my 52 yrs i would get so disgusted with this game…. that being said the little i see is this = diaz stinks ,that trade will be the 2nd worse ever made even if the guys sent to seattle never reach the majors, and someone must tell cespedes that he doesnt have to swing at every pitch…
“COVID 19/anti-president virus”. Jeezus.
Its an election yr
And as i wrote that,there sure thing diaz loading the bases with no outs
I’m perfectly fine with this. Games during the weekday starting at 1. They have expanded rosters and players so availability shouldn’t be an issue. I feel like the mlb is making it more complicated than it needs to be.
I’m waiting for the 7 run slaughter rule to be implemented. This so called season is a farce.
The guys who opted out were the smart ones.
Won’t be a popular opinion, but I’m at the point where I feel that no baseball in 2020 is better than what we’ve got. The rule changes and the whole debacle around negotiations has been painful.
Not popular….rather disgusting
Disgusting? I’m not sure that word means what you think it means…
Let me guess, you’re the kind of person who flames someone on Twitter and says they should ‘get the death penalty’ because they once admitted to stealing a bag of candy when they were little? You need to calm down and get a grip dude or your blood pressure will be through the roof.
I April I was missing baseball. By June I was used to it. Season so far is like driving with speed bumps every 20 feet. I get what you’re saying.
This only works if each team benefits the same. Does each team have the same number of twin bills??? If not, there will be teams that play at least 4 innings less than others. And 4 innings of play in a short season is impactful.
just keeps getting dumber. little league rules. if they cant handle 9 inning games send them home and cancel the damn season. been watching and defending baseball as a great sport for 60 years, never again. these are not the honorable players i grew up watching. greeding pukes.
How come it’s only now that the MLB and Player’s Union are able to gentlemanly compromise ?
Money was agreed upon……just wait for the NFL to blow up big time before the season starts.
Whole bunch of complains over having live games again. All I know a wise man once said you throw the ball, you hit the ball and you catch the ball. That is Baseball. I get the rule changes. It is 60 games in 65 days coming after a short (some teams shorter than others) preseason after ~3 months off. Teams are trying to avoid as much injury as they can. I get it. It is not exactly the game as we all know it but it is live games you get to watch without knowing the outcome. I hate watching old games. No excitement even if it was a great win for a team I like. It is very much better than nothing at all.
Have they explained how 14 innings of interaction is safer than 18? Cause to me if they are interacting there interacting length doesn’t matter
It is not about the virus. It is about 4 less innings+ to account for for pitching. Only a couple of scheduled off days in the 60 game season. Common sense actually.
Sorry I guess I just assumed the expanded double header rosters wasn’t a change this year… my bad
I can guarantee you they will not go to 7 inning DH next year. MLB does not schedule DH because they want that gate from every game they can. Even with rain outs they rarely schedule normal DH. Almost always a day-night DH so they can get 2 gates instead of one. Without fans they can do 7 inning DH and play the games back to back with a short break and get the games done quicker.
This is a new meaning to Ernie Banks saying “lets play two”—- WOW. just wow
MLB is lost to me. SORRY just like peaceful protests. are.
MLB and Manfred can go FO. Try again losers’.
How about just put a time limit on the game? Play two hours, finish the current inning and go straight to the international tie breaker. At least there is strategy involved. I’ve coached in this format and the clock def plays into the speed of play and sense if urgency. The team behind has to hustle to make they get the inning started.
My 11 year old grandson plays 7 inn doubleheaders., MLB – stop this crap!!!!!!!!!
They play them in AAA too….. just sayin
Ibstead of running maybe they use segways
Instead of running it out, maybe they use segways
MLB is now awful. If I hadn’t already cancelled my season tickets due to the new 10th inning rule and expanded playoffs, I would now.
You cancelled your tickets for a season with no fans? And for changes that are proposed for 1 year?
The most ridiculous, farcical “season” humanly possible… or so I thought, until today.
More co-ed softball “rules”. Lovely.
MLB makes it so teams can play and entertain you, People on here’s response…reeeeeeeeeeee this isn’t real baseball, I can’t believe they are doing this or that. Grow up you are lucky to get baseball this year, quit whining.
You can appreciate having baseball and still criticize the decisions made. Why are they mutually exclusive? Grow up.
Don’t like it but can live with it for this year to keep this tormented season moving along. Would never accept this in normal times.
I’m going to get flamed for this, but whatever. Baseball as a major sport is dying. People don’t want to spend 4 plus hours watching a bunch of pitcher changes. You can tell me that is strategy or whatever, but it is boring. I like watching baseball when I want to take a nap on a nice summer weekend with the windows open. Other than that, I don’t have the time to invest. Time for them to get with the times and try some new things to attract people to the game or there won’t be much of a sport to watch in 10 years. It’s already probably the 3rd major sport behind football and basketball and it’s not trending in the right direction. Call me a fake fan or whatever, but I’m a 34 year old with a family and things to do and spending 4 hours watching a baseball game is not a luxury I have. I watched a fair amount of games when I was in college, but it has gotten absurd.
What if the seven inning double headers go extra innings? Is there a special provision for a coin flip to determine the winner?
As long as it’s only for this year. Its whatever.
As talks continue, MLB and the MLBPA have also agreed to remove second base, allowing runners to cut across the diamond from 1st to third.
Manfred thinks this will “…really speed things up”.
If a catcher receives a second strike (as opposed to a foul ball), they may tag the hitter for an “applied” strikeout. This will be scored as kk, which Phillips believes will resonate with the texting crowd.
Lastly – and for 2020 only – both sides have agreed to rename the sport Wackyball, although the American League will add de h and spell it Whackyball…
Pronounced with as much emphasis on the h as possible
This is where we find out what the baseball media is made of.
After this season is done, they need to step up and absolutely rail on the 7-inning idea. Since they haven’t budged on the other changes over the last few years, they need to dig in on this. If they do not, and they speak highly of this, 7-innings might be proposed in the future. The media is supposed to be speaking on-behalf of fans. They have proven they are out of touch with the average baseball consumer. It’s time we find out just how out of touch they have become.
What. the. truck ……
No reason not to go to two strikes for a strikeout and three balls for a walk. LOL
In extra innings you only get one strike and two balls is a walk.
How about stealing 1st? Start the count at 1 and 1?…. they ruined the easiest game to watch…..
With the amount of doubleheaders we will need was probably necessary. Also, anyone surprised they actually ended up liking the new extra innings rules? I dig it. If I had to pick between no dh or the old extra inning rules, I would easily take no dh.
Yeh I won’t be watching any 7 inning games. Just play one real game
Another rule change. Foul ball with two strikes is still a strike. More strike outs, and prevents long at bats.