Following the lead of the NBA and NHL, Major League Baseball is said to be strongly considering a bubble format for the postseason to avoid potential coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreaks.
Two locations reportedly have emerged as favorites to host games: Southern California for the American League portion of the playoffs and Texas for the National League. The 2020 World Series may also take place at the Texas Rangers’ new ballpark, Globe Life Field.
As the calendar turned to September, MLB is in the process of ironing out the final details for a postseason bubble. According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, players on qualifying teams may be required to quarantine in hotels during the final week of the regular season:
As part of a plan to help players avoid infection, the league has informed the Players Association that it wants contenders playing at home the final week of the regular season to lock down in hotels, according to sources familiar with the discussions. The idea of such a quarantine would be for players to get through the thick of the incubation period for COVID-19 before the expanded playoffs begin.
“If you’re going home to your family, you’re at risk,” a person with knowledge of the situation says. “Even if you do everything right, you can’t control what the people you live with are doing.”
The Dodgers close out the regular season with a six-game homestand against the Oakland Athletics and L.A. Angels, so the proposed rule would apply to them.
Dave Roberts not concerned about Globe Life Park dimensions
With Globe Life Field rumored to be the site of this year’s World Series, the Dodgers hope to return there a second time in October. The club got their first look at the ballpark over the weekend, taking two of three from the Texas Rangers.
Though Globe Life Field has only been open for a little over a month, early data suggests home runs will be hard to come by, given the spacious dimensions. That doesn’t worry Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
“It’s a level playing field for both clubs,” he said. “As far as the bubble, if that’s what put in front of us, I’m all for it. If it’s playing games here in the World Series, I’m all for that too.
“You’ve still got to find a way to beat that opponent, not the ballpark.”
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