If a 2020 Major League Baseball season is played, then extra innings could look significantly different.
Instead of the traditional extra innings format, the MLB is considering placing a runner on second to start each inning. This has been experimented with in the minor leagues, and has received mixed feedback. What they do in the minors is use the person who was the last out in the previous inning as the runner. Teams aren’t able to select runners unless they make a substitution.
Additionally, the league is considering instituting ties this season. If the game is tied after a certain number of extra innings, it may go down in the scorebook as a tie.
The league is trying to do everything possible to make the short season worth it without completely exhausting players. But, that’s if we even have a season. In addition to the extended labor negotiations, coronavirus cases are rising in parts of the country where large gatherings aren’t being enforced.
Because of that, the MLB may need to reconsider their safety protocol. Eight members of the Phillies organization tested positive for coronavirus at their Spring Training facility in Florida. Because of that, the MLB shut down all spring facilities to develop a coronavirus testing protocol. The league also may have second thoughts about doing the season in a “bubble”, but the locations previously considered for the “bubble” now have increasing coronavirus numbers.
If the new extra innings format is implemented, it will likely only be for the 2020 season. From there, it might not see the field until the new CBA after 2021. It’s not the most ideal in my opinion, but I’ll take it just to see some baseball.
Earlier this week, things were headed deep south for the MLB. Commissioner Rob Manfred came out saying that a 2020 season was “not likely”, and it was assumed that the season would eventually be canceled.
But here we are just a few days later, with negotiations in another life. We could finally see a deal within a few days. Could Rob Manfred have threatened the 2020 season as part of a negotiation tactic? I think that he probably did in attempt to get the players to cave and accept less money. There is no way that we magically go from “likely no season” to “a deal nearing completion” in a few days.
The MLB offered the players association 60 games with prorated salaries, an expanded postseason, and a universal DH. As happy as players were to see prorated salaries, they decided that they want more games. They sent back basically the same proposal, but with 10 more games. From what we hear, owners aren’t too excited about that. They want to end the regular season by September to beat a second coronavirus wave and keep postseason TV dates in place.
So, maybe we see a compromise with a season of 65 games. It will still be an extraordinarily short season, but more meaningful than a 50 game season. The sport needs the season to happen, or else they will lose even more fans.
But, going back to what Manfred said on Monday; I think that he said what he said in a last ditch effort to avoid prorated salaries. Once they saw the level of disgust between the players after the statement, they finally had to cave and offer prorated salaries. I certainly don’t know for sure, and we may never know. That’s just my guess from what we already know.
The New York Yankees’ are minimally impacted by the potential universal DH, but pitchers at the plate have produced some memorable moments.
When it comes to the New York Yankees and a universal designated hitter, they’re ones that more than likely would have no qualms with such a concept.
As Major League Baseball and its players continue to make little progress in the quest to open the 2020 season, one of the conditions that have emerged from a potential deal is the arrival of a DH coming to both the American and National Leagues. AL baseball has employed such a position since 1973, while the NL has continued to put a pitcher in the batter’s box. If and when baseball makes its return, that concept will likely go the way of the World Series day game.
The Yankees, forced to employ the concept of a pitcher at the plate during their visits to NL parks since the 70s, have seen the ugly side of the concept with injuries to starters Chien-Ming Wang and Masahiro Tanaka coming on the basepaths. Not everything has been all bad though, as ESM looks back on a starting lineup of fine at-bats from pinstriped pitchers…
(Photo by George Rinhart/Corbis via Getty Images)
9/18/30: Seeing Red…Twice
Red Ruffing reached Monument Park and Cooperstown thanks to his exploits on the mound. But, on a team that featured sluggers like Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, it was Ruffing that came up big during a September 1930 matchup with the St. Louis Browns. The right-hander had an uncharacteristically bad day at the mound (7 IP, 5 ER, 10 H), but he hit two home runs, ones that allowed the Yankees to go into extra innings in what became a 7-6 victory at Sportsman’s Park.
6/17/36: Deja Vu All Over A-Red
Not to be outdone, Ruffing duplicated his feat of, well, duplicate home runs during a 1936 visit to Cleveland. His offensive contributions weren’t as necessary this time around, but Ruffing nonetheless produced two solo shots in a 15-4 win over the Indians. This time around, though, he complimented his performance with a strong outing on both sides, as he threw a complete game in the first half of a doubleheader at League Park.
7/26/40: “Could I BE More Impactful?”
There’s playing an impactful role in a victory and then there’s what Spud Chandler did in a July 1940 win at Comiskey Park. Not only did he throw a complete game, but he also drove in six runs in the Yankees’ 10-2 victory. The coup de grace came when Chandler crushed a grand slam in the final inning. To date, Chandler is the most recent…and perhaps final…Yankees pitcher to hit two home runs in a single game.
9/27/72: Going in Style
The implementation of the original, AL-exclusive designated hitter came in 1973, eliminating most, if not all, offensive dreams Yankee pitchers may have had. Steve Kline helped the concept of pinstriped pitchers at the regular season plate go out in style with a two-hit game in a crucial showdown in Detroit. He would come in to score on an RBI single by Bobby Murcer, giving the Yankees a 3-0 lead. Alas, it appeared to go all downhill once Kline’s special day ended. After seven shutout innings, he let up four in the eighth before being lifted for Sparky Lyle. The Tigers erased a 5-0 lead to earn a 6-5 walk-off, part of a stretch that removed the Yankees from AL pennant contention. Kline’s performance for naught was the last multi-hit game for a pinstriped pitcher until Mike Mussina accomplished the feat in a 2002 visit to San Diego.
9/28/72: A Roar at Tiger Stadium
Heartbreak awaited the 1972 Yankees in the form of five straight losses to end the year. Their final win, however, left just enough room for some more pitcher-at-the plate heroics. Having taken over for Mel Stottlemyre after six innings, Lindy McDaniel took Detroit ace Mickey Lolich deep for a home run in the top of the ninth, giving the Yankees a 2-1 lead. While the Yankees let the gift up almost immediately…a Rusty Torres error allowed Detroit to tie the game before Roy White won it for the Yankees in the 12th…McDaniel became the last Yankee reliever to drive in a run for nearly three decades, as Mike Stanton finally pulled off the feat in a win over Montreal in 2000.
6/16/01: The Moose Is Loose
If you’re a Mets fan, now is perhaps a good time to check ESM’s plethora of Amazin’ content. Some of the more recent moments when it comes to pitchers at the plate have come during the Subway Series. The Mets have had such moments as well (shoutout to Shawn Estes and Dae-Sung Koo), but the AL’s Yankees have more of a reason to celebrate thanks to the presumably former exclusivity. Mussina’s 2001 season was strong as it was (17-11, 3.15 ERA, 214 strikeouts), and that was on full display during a bout in Flushing. He drove in his own winning run in the second inning, following up a Bernie Williams solo shot with an RBI single that put the Yankees up 2-0. With his only flaw on the afternoon being the allowance of a Robin Ventura home run, Mussina was able to outduel Kevin Appier over 7.1 innings for a narrow victory.
6/28/03: A Lasting Impression
1998 draft pick Brandon Claussen made but one appearance in a Yankee uniform, but the 34th-rounder certainly made the most of hit. Called upon to pitch the second, Queens-based half of a crosstown doubleheader with the Mets, Claussen not only lasted 6.1 innings in his first career start (outdueling Tom Glavine in a 9-8 win), but he also drove in the last part of a five-run fifth inning on an RBI single at Shea Stadium. Despite his brevity, Claussen is part of a major footnote in Yankee history. Just over a month after his Yankee cameo, he and fellow minor league pitcher Charlie Manning were dealt to Cincinnati at the trade deadline. New York’s haul in return? Aaron Boone.
6/28/09: Gotta Go to Mo
The only thing rarer than a Marino Rivera blown save was a Mariano Rivera at-bat. Rivera visited home plate countless times to meet his catcher after locking down a win, but only held a bat on four occasions. Two of them came during the 2009 season. Four days after flying out to center in a win over Atlanta, Rivera came into close out the Mets at Citi Field in four-out fashion after Brian Bruney got into trouble with a 3-2 lead. After striking out Omir Santos with David Wright in scoring positon, Rivera came to the plate to face fellow New York closer Francisco Rodriguez, who intentionally walked Derek Jeter to get to him. With the eyes of New York upon him and the bases loaded with pinstripes, the closers engaged in a battle of wills in Queens. Rivera won out, walking on a full count to drive in Melky Cabrera, helping his own cause with an insurance run and a 4-2 lead. More history awaited Rivera in his normal half of the ninth, as he went on to earn the 500th save of his illustrious career with a scoreless ninth.
10/31/09: Andy’s Dandy, Momentum-Shifting Single
Things were getting spooky for the Yankees on Halloween. Any momentum sought to be gained in their 2009 World Series tilt with the Philadelphia Phillies after A.J. Burnett’s shutdown performance in Game 2 was about to go by the wayside in Game 3. Three runs in the third helped the defending champions build a 3-2 lead in front of a home crowd at Citizens Bank Park near the midway mark. Nick Swisher led off the Yankee half of the fifth with a double off Cole Hamels, who subsequently struck out Cabrera. Hope for a rally seemed to be at its end with Andy Pettitte due up, but the lefty instead put momentum in the New York corner for good. Pettitte’s single to center on Hamels’ first pitch would score Swisher, tying the game and driving in the only postseason run of his career. He would later score alongside Jeter on a Johnny Damon double, tallying the run that gave the Yankees the lead for good. Pettitte later earned the win (his third of the 2009 postseason) and went six innings as the Yankees took home an 8-5 decision. They later stole a second win in Philadelphia before clinching their most season Fall Classic in The Bronx four nights later.
In a wild turn of events, it’s very likely that the 2020 Major League Baseball season will not happen. League Commissioner Rob Manfred told ESPN that he is “not confident” that there will be a 2020 season.
“Unfortunately, I can’t tell you that I’m a 100% certain that’s gonna happen,” said Manfred. This comes after he promised that there will be a baseball season in some capacity during Wednesday’s MLB draft.
The league sent the Players Association a letter today saying that unless the MLBPA waives potential grievances, then there won’t be a season, reported Bill Shaikin.
Throughout the entire pandemic, and especially the past week, players have told the league that they are ready to go. “Just tell us when and where,” said many players.
All of this comes after a long money struggle between the players and owners. The players have requested prorated salaries all along, while the owners have been very reluctant to pay them. Owners wanted to pay the players significantly less than prorated salaries.
The players have stood firm on prorated salaries and made the owners be more reasonable with their offers. They don’t care about how long the season is, they just want to make sure they have their prorated salaries.
And it isn’t like the owners can’t afford the salaries. The billionaire owners would only undergo a one year revenue loss, and it’s something that could be made up in 2021 once fans return to the stands.
This is certainly disappointing for baseball, and hopefully it’s something that can be worked out. While the news of the likely cancelation is currently unofficial, things sure seem to be heading that way.
Christian Hackenberg’s New York Jets endeavor ended in disaster, but a New York debut…with the Yankees or Mets…could be in the cards.
Hack is back.
Former New York Jets quarterback and second-round draft pick Christian Hackenberg is making another attempt at professional throwing. His new opportunity won’t come on the gridiron, but rather the diamond, as the Penn State alum has his sights set on baseball as a pitcher.
“I just want to compete, man,” Hackenberg told Rob Kuestner of NBA Sports Philadelphia. “I had that roller-coaster ride, and at the end of the day, I’m sitting here at 25, and for me, I feel like I’ve got a lot left in the tank.”
Kuestner later posted video of Hackenberg reaching 90 miles an hour in a throwing session.
A baseball transition wouldn’t be unprecedented in the slightest for Hackenberg. Before committing to football in Happy Valley, he played baseball for three seasons during his high school days at Fork Union (VA) Military Academy. Hackenberg worked at both the mound and the plate, striking out 33 and posting a 7.36 earned run average over 25 2/3 innings. He batted .378 (including a career-best .411 tally in his senior year in 2013) and stole 21 bases on 23 attempts.
Jets fans need no reminders in how Hackenberg’s tenure with the team ended. He was the team’s second-round pick (51st overall) in 2016 but never partook in a regular season snap. He was traded to the Oakland Raiders in 2018 and spent the subsequent year in reserve roles with Philadelphia and Cincinnati. Hackenberg would later partake in the short-lived Alliance of American Football, chosen in the second round of the league’s QB Draft by the Memphis Express. He started three games, posting a 43.5 passer rating before being benched for a triumvirate that included Brandon Silvers, Zach Mettenberger, and Johnny Manziel.
Hackenberg wouldn’t be the first former Jets quarterback to try his hand in America’s pastime. Former thrower Tim Tebow has been working as an outfielder in the New York Mets’ minor league system since 2016.
After over a month of intense negations, the MLB Players Association will be halting negotiations with the owners on the status of the 2020 season. This will lead to Commissioner Rob Manfred implementing a short season, possibly only 50 games long.
On Saturday afternoon, over 100 players were on a conference call discussing whether to continue negotiations. The answer was nearly unanimous to stop, as not much progress has been made the past month.
Players were clear and vocal during the entirety of negotiations that they wanted prorated salaries. A deal was made in March saying that the season can be any length desired as long as prorated salaries were granted. Owners were okay with it originally, but got cold feet after seeing the projected revenue loss.
The closest that the owners got to prorated salaries in proposals was around 80% percent of them. They weren’t willing to commit all the way, unless the season was extraordinarily short. What they fail to realize is that they make back the lost money once fans can return. It’s not impossible that we see a limited attendance at some events.
Players are demanding that the league come out with official intentions for the 2020 season as soon as possible. Players are ready to play and are just waiting to report back to camp.
The mess that the MLB is in will hurt the game. Fans are becoming disinterested due to the ongoing negotiations, and the end of the CBA looms after 2021. That means that it’s possible we see a lockout entering 2022, and that could mean another shortened season. It could be the final straw to an already dwindling fan base.
The MLB needs to figure this out soon. Hopefully, we see a season longer than 50 games. That way, the season would mean more. Regardless, this years World Series Champion will have an asterisk next to their name.
On Friday, the MLB sent over yet another proposal to the Players Association about the intentions of the 2020 season. Once again, it didn’t take very long for players to reject the offer.
The proposal entailed a 72-game season with a start date of July 14th and an end date of September 27th. With coronavirus concerns, the league doesn’t want to end the regular season any later than that. The players want to play the regular season into October, but that likely won’t happen.
As you could probably imagine, the players rejected the offer due to the lack of full prorated salaries. In this proposal, players would receive 70% of prorated salaries if no postseason due to coronavirus, and 80% of prorated salaries if there is a postseason. The postseason would include 16 teams if played. The first round would be a best-of-three, followed by the traditional Divisional Series, Championship Series, and World Series.
Time is quickly running out for the two sides to strike a deal. If a deal isn’t made within a few days, it could risk Commissioner Rob Manfred intervening and implementing a shortened season. A shortened season could be anywhere between 48-to-60 games, as long as prorated salaries are being honored.
If Manfred does indeed have to intervene, things could get even uglier. According to Bob Nightengale, a season with less than 60-games could see the Players Association file a grievance to the league.
The negotiations are steering fans away from baseball and hurting the sport. Owners need to realize this and come up with a reasonable deal for the players. This could really hurt the sport in the long run, no matter how the 2020 season is played.
Exactly three years ago today, outfielder Aaron Judge hit a historic home run for the New York Yankees.
With the team leading 7-3 in the 6th inning against the Baltimore Orioles, the then 25-year-old hit a towering 495 foot homer to left field in Yankee Stadium. The home run is the longest by any Yankee player in the Statcast era. The ball almost made it to the concourse in left, something you don’t even see in batting practice. Here’s the towering shot down below:
This was one of the highlights for Judge in a campaign that saw him place second in MVP voting while running away with the Rookie of the Year award. He hit .284 with 52 home runs and 114 RBIs. His OBP was a whopping .422 as he led the league in walks, and had an OPS of 1.049. His 2017 performance propelled the Yankees to a wild card spot in a season where the team was not expected to make the postseason.
Unfortunately, a lot of Judge’s good luck didn’t carry over with him in the next two seasons. Both 2018 and 2019 saw IL stints, limiting him to just over 100 games in both years.
In 2020, Judge began spring training injured, but the team hopes to have him ready whenever the regular season begins. With the intentions of the season beginning to shift towards 50 games, it’s even more important to stay healthy and be on his A game. The 2020 season will see the team not just challenging their AL East foes, but their NL East foes as well. That includes the reigning World Series Champion Washington Nationals.
Hopefully, we see more 500 foot home runs coming from Aaron Judge in the near future.
On Monday, the MLB submitted a 76 game proposal for the 2020 season to the players association, and it was quickly rejected. However, on Tuesday, the players association countered with a proposal of their own.
While still requesting prorated salaries, the union sent an 89 game proposal back to the league. This proposal would include an expanded postseason of 16 teams and pool money for players participating in the postseason. As previously agreed upon, players will still have the opportunity to opt-out of the season if they so desire.
This proposal has a set Opening Day of July 10th with the season-ending October 11th. This would be to start the postseason after the conclusion of the NBA Finals.
But, it’s expected that the owners will not accept the deal, taking things back to the drawing boards. Owners don’t want to pay prorated salaries and don’t want to adjust TV dates for the postseason. They may come back with a counter-offer, and if they do, we may be able to gauge exactly where we are in negotiations. We’re at the point now where each day spent in negotiations is one less day that could be spent playing baseball. A deal needs to get done, and it needs to be done quickly.
Baseball is already starting to lose fans from this, as many are fed up with the on-going negotiations. The owners seem to have little to no interest in playing and only care about the money they have now. It would be a one-season revenue loss, and once fans are in the stands, they will make back all the lost money.
With everything going on in the world, we need baseball as a distraction. However, the owners don’t seem to care, and it’s unfortunate as it could kill baseball.
On Monday, the MLB submitted yet another proposal to the players union about the status of the 2020 season. This proposal called for a 76 game season with 75% prorated salaries, as reported by Karl Ravech. The regular season would start around July 10th and end on September 27th. Included would be playoff pool money and no draft compensation picks for signed players this offseason.
Compared to a 50 game season with prorated salaries, players would be getting around 19% more money in this proposal. However, players seem to be pretty set on full prorated salaries. As Jon Heyman reported, “Players are not thrilled with it. Not at all,”.
But, if the players see any potential in it, they can choose to send a counter-proposal. If they don’t feel like doing anything with it, we may have no choice but to have the commissioner mandate a 50 game season. As much as players would like to see a schedule as close to 81 games as possible, the prorated salaries seem to be a priority to them. Players believe this new proposal is a step backward.
Another thing that the MLB is set in stone about is ending the regular season before October. Players are fully willing to play the regular season through October, but the owners fear losing more money. Having the postseason in November could interfere with other sports, and increases the chances of it being canceled from a second coronavirus wave. But, even if the postseason is in October, you still interfere with the rescheduled NBA Finals.
The situation with the players union and the MLB is getting messier and messier by the day. But hopefully, the players will submit a counter-proposal, and it will be something that interests the league. Time is ticking away.
