Under the format, the World Series would be played at the Rangers' new Globe Life FieldGETTY IMAGES
MLB is "finalizing a postseason format in which teams would not move into the bubble until after the first round," according to sources cited by Bill Shaikin of the L.A. TIMES. Under the format, the World Series "would be played" at Globe Life Field. The four NL teams that advance from Round 1 "would gather in Texas" for the NLDS and NLCS, with games at the Rangers' new ballpark and the Astros' Minute Maid Park. The four AL teams that advance "would gather in Southern California" for the ALDS/ALCS, with "games most likely played" at Dodger Stadium and the Padres' Petco Park (L.A. TIMES, 9/10). In S.F., Henry Schulman writes after "initial missteps on testing, and a raft of positives that forced" games to be postponed, MLB has "settled into a rhythm that resembles an actual season, short though it might be." Weekly test results "show that ballplayers have taken coronavirus risks seriously and abided by stringent regulations." Now, with less than three weeks to go, the "focus and conversations have shifted toward the postseason, as they do every September." Baseball "will crown a 2020 World Series champion," and "just getting there will be a battle won for a sport that had its share of, um, skeptics" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 9/10).
SEPARATION STRUGGLE: THE ATHLETIC's Ken Rosenthal wondered why Dodgers players' families must "enter a seven-day quarantine if they wish to join the players in the controlled bubble environments" MLB plans for the postseason. The league said that it "needs to take every precaution against individuals becoming infected and contaminating the bubbles." However, sources said that Dodgers players, "citing their team’s success in steering clear of the virus, have also been particularly vocal against the proposed separations from their families." No Dodger has tested positive since the start of intake testing prior to Spring Training 2.0 (THEATHLETIC.com, 9/9).
