Doubleheaders May Be on the Docket at Start of MLB Season

When the MLB season starts, we could see plenty of doubleheaders on tap as teams try to cram in 161 games into a shortened timeline as the sport is on hold due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

There are plenty of options available should the MLB season start at a reasonable date — say, on Memorial Day or the beginning of June: extending the regular season, scheduling late-season games in markets in warmer climes or climate-controlled facilities, cutting the number of games, or adding doubleheaders to the mix. While in general players aren’t thrilled with doubleheaders, there may be enticements, such as expanded rosters, that could sway the players association to support the plan. With so much up in the air in professional baseball, we’re seeing plenty of ideas thrown out there in order to play as much of the 2020 season as possible. From AP:

“In theory, yeah, I think all of us would be up for some sort of doubleheader situation,” [Colorado Rockies manager Bud] Black said during a conference call Thursday. “The thing that’s going to be in front of all of us is it’s going to be the same for everybody. It’s got to make sense for the clubs and the players.”…

“I know that when we’re able to safely play, we’re going to have to think of creative ways to get in as many games as possible given all the time that’s going to be lost,” said Farhan Zaidi, the president of baseball operations for the San Francisco Giants. “I don’t really have any specific thoughts on that, but I know everybody’s going to be thinking through ways to do that.”

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