When Major League Baseball announced plans to carry forward with the 2020 season, they were criticized for opting not to play inside a bubble like the NBA and NHL.
MLB instead allowed teams to travel to other stadiums within their region. There were some hurdles along the way, including coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreaks in multiple clubhouses, but the league managed to complete its 60-game regular season on time.
MLB shifted course for the postseason, implementing a bubble plan that saw Southern California and Texas host games. The Los Angeles Dodgers hosted a Wild Card Series at Dodger Stadium, then arrived at Globe Life Field for the remainder of their postseason run.
It was at the Texas Rangers’ home ballpark in which the Dodgers ended their World Series drought as they defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in six games. L.A.’s path to the title was far more difficult than usual, considering the lack of off days up until the Fall Classic.
During a recent appearance on the “Starting 9 Podcast,” Walker Buehler discussed the journey and revealed that he prefers the traditional postseason format that includes traveling as opposed to a neutral site World Series, via Barstool Sports:
“I think it can be done well. I don’t think that’s how our game is played. I like the 2-3-2 (format), you have a travel day, you get to go home, take a break. These games, from the Wild Card on, are so mentally different than anything that normal baseball is ever going to feel like. Obviously I could never put myself in the shoes of an NFL player or NBA player, but mentally you are so much more drained from those games even when you’re not playing or pitching.
“I think that’s a two-sided coin. You can stay in one place and never leave, and then you never have to travel. But I think having those off days in there is something that’s important. To travel and get home to your ballpark, I think we all enjoy playing in front of our fans.”
As Buehler noted, there are both pros and cons with a neutral site World Series. One benefit is that teams don’t have to travel, but the drawbacks include a lack of home-field advantage and very few off days.
Many Dodgers players, including Max Muncy, would have preferred winning the World Series in front of the hometown crowd at Dodger Stadium.
Rob Manfred discusses possibility of neutral site World Series in future
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred recently discussed the possibility of a permanent neutral World Series site, revealing that the idea isn’t completely off the table.
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