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Leagues and Governing Bodies

Rob Manfred Hopes To Keep Expanded Playoff, Extra-Inning Rule

Manfred indicated that players like the added runner rule, which helps shorten extra-inning gamesGETTY IMAGES

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said that he "hopes to keep two of this year’s innovations: expanded playoffs and starting extra innings with runners on second base," according to Ronald Blum of the AP. Manfred indicated that the 30 clubs combined for $3B in "operating losses due [to] the coronavirus pandemic, which caused all 898 regular-season games to be played in empty ballparks without fans." Manfred on the expanded playoffs said, "I don’t think we would do 16 like we did this year. I think we do have to be cognizant of making sure that we preserve the importance of our regular season. But I think something beyond the 10 that we were at would be a good change." Meanwhile, with the added runner rule, the longest of 68 games of 10 innings or longer were a pair of 13-inning contests. Manfred: "The players like it. I think it’s really good from a safety and health perspective that keeps us from putting players in situations where they’re out there too long or in positions they’re not used to playing.” Still, MLBPA Exec Dir Tony Clark said that it was "too soon to commit to changes for 2021." Manfred also is "concerned about whether fans will be allowed to attend games next season." He said, "What happens with fans is going to be a product of what happens with the virus, what decisions public health authorities make in terms of mass gatherings" (AP, 10/21).

SOMETHING TO BUILD ON: USA TODAY's Gabe Lacques notes the fan parameters in place at the World Series in Arlington -- zip ties around seats to keep fans distanced, mandatory mask requirements, abundant hand-washing stations -- will "likely serve as a baseline for the 2021 season." MLB’s Texas test case "could potentially provide a path to fans on a wider scale in 2021." Jill Roberts, an infectious disease specialist at the Univ. of Florida, said, "I would much rather see this, a small scale, than full capacity. It sounds like some thought has gone into it. Maybe there needs to be more, not to have packed shops and such" (USA TODAY, 10/21).

SUPER SERIES: In N.Y., Tyler Kepner notes MLB agent Scott Boras has "called for a neutral-site World Series for at least a decade, once making the proposal in a letter" to MLB Commissioner Emeritus Bud Selig. Boras believes that the Super Bowl "should be a model" for MLB. He said, "It’s already given us an indication of what the current, traditional approach has provided, and that is that baseball does not receive the attention of the Super Bowl. Well, let’s create a product that does receive the attention of the Super Bowl, and let’s create something that allows for a World Series week and brings commerce and corporate interaction and all those things that come to a city for the Super Bowl -- but we can actually deliver four to seven games as opposed to one." Boras added that critical to the plan "would be to play all the games consecutively with no days off" (N.Y. TIMES, 10/21).

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