Ask anyone who likes to stay up to date with MLB news: Changes to the game itself can be pretty slow. Because baseball is a very traditional game, any big changes are typically met with some unrest and grumbling. So the MLB is usually careful to enact these changes slowly and test to see if they’re actually a good thing for the game. In 2020, two fairly big changes were made. These changes included a rule to shorten extra innings and a rule to expand the playoffs. To find MLB news, visit this website.

Extra Innings Rule

The first rule was that in the 10th inning and beyond, a runner would be placed at second base. Most people didn’t balk at this piece of MLB news, but some people thought it wasn’t the best decision. The intention was to shorten the time of an already lengthy game and save the arms of the relief pitchers in the bullpen. After the rule took effect, most people came around to this rule, admitting that it was overall a good change to the game. And fans probably didn’t mind the games not running an extra hour into the night.

Expanded Playoffs

In 2020, it was also announced that 16 teams would be able to make the playoffs. This is six more than the usual 10 that made the playoffs in prior years. This decision was made for a couple of reasons. First is the obvious economic benefits for MLB. More postseason games mean more revenue, and with a shortened season due to COVID, they’re wanting to make up for lost time. The other reason also has to do with COVID. Since the pandemic led to fewer regular-season games, MLB felt it would be fairer to let more teams in because they had less time to prove themselves during the regular season.

2021 Rule Changes

Whether these changes will carry over into 2021 remains to be seen, as the players’ union still needs to vote on whether they want the changes to stay. Make sure to stay on top of the latest MLB news to find out what baseball will look like in 2021.

Read a similar article about coronavirus news here at this page.