The Corona virus postponed the start of the baseball season and closed almost everything else, but now Major League Baseball is back for a 60-game sprint of a season, followed by newly expanded playoffs. The first three-game series of the new season will be concluded today with numerous games related to the league.
Many questions remain unanswered as to how MLB will navigate the season in the pandemic, including how teams will protect players and employees as they move from city to city. Nationals star Juan Soto will miss the time after testing positive for COVID-19, and other players, including Nationals Ryan Zimmerman and San Francisco Giants Buster Posey, have announced that they will suspend the season.
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But baseball is back at the moment. You can't go to the stadium and personally attend a game, but there are many ways to watch TV. So you can follow the shortened 2020 season without cables.
What is the schedule for MLB 2020?
A large selection of games are planned for Sunday, July 26, as the teams complete their first three-game series of the year. The New York Yankees and Washington Nationals will land on TBS from 1:05 p.m. ET (10:05 a.m.PT) in DC. The Los Angeles Angels will play Oakland A's on the MLB Network at 4:10 p.m. ET (1:10 p.m. PT), while ESPN Plus will wear the Arizona Diamondbacks at the San Diego Padres. Tonight the Atlanta Braves will visit the New York Mets at 7:00 p.m., followed by a nightcap with the San Francisco Giants in Los Angeles against the Dodgers at 10:00 p.m. (7:00 p.m.). ESPN will broadcast both games.
Other teams in the league play in regional sports networks. CBS Sports has listed some of the highlights and dates to look forward to this season.
How can I watch the 2020 MLB season on TV without cables?
The 2020 season may be drastically different from the usual six-month campaign with 162 games in recent years, but the way to see baseball in the regular season has not changed. The national networks that broadcast MLB games during normal seasons - Fox, Fox Sports 1, TBS, MLB Network and ESPN - will broadcast games in 2020.
You can watch your local regional sports networks such as the local Fox Sports channels, the YES network (New York Yankees), the NESN (Boston Red Sox) or SportsNet LA (Los Angeles Dodgers).
To the Cable TV cable cutterMany of the national channels are offered on five of the channels large live TV streaming services. You should ask every service whether your regional sports network is offered.
To get all national baseball channels, you'll need Sling's Blue / Orange package, which costs $ 45 a month, and the Sports Extra add-on for another $ 10 a month to get MLB Network receive. Read our Sling TV test.
YouTube TV costs $ 65 a month and includes all major national baseball channels. Depending on your team and your area, you may also have your regional sports network. Read our YouTube TV test.
The AT&T TV Now Plus-Plus package for USD 55 per month includes ESPN, Fox, FS1 and TBS. However, you have to increase the maximum package of $ 80 a month for regional sports channels and possibly the selection of $ 110 a month if you also want MLB Network. Read our AT&T TV Now report.
Hulu with live TV costs $ 55 a month and includes most major national baseball channels, including ESPN, Fox, and TBS. While some areas may also get regional sports networks, the service does not have an MLB network. Read our Hulu with live TV test.
FuboTV includes Fox, ESPN, FS1, and TBS in its standard plan of $ 55 a month (which will increase to $ 60 on August 1) and some local regional sports networks, though those looking for MLB Network will need to look elsewhere. Note: ESPN is not currently available, but will be available sometime this summer, says FuboTV. Read our FuboTV test.
In addition to the services mentioned above, there is MLB.TV, the paid streaming service from MLB. It will be available to stream games out of the market, with the league charging $ 60 for the entire condensed season.
T-Mobile and Sprint users can get a free subscription to MLB.TV for the entire season starting July 21 as part of the T-Mobile Tuesday discount program. Those wishing to take advantage of this offer have until Tuesday, August 4th at 01:59 a.m. (04:59 a.m. ET) to register.
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Where are games played?
Regular seasonal games take place in the respective home cities of the 30 teams, with the exception of the Toronto Blue Jays, the only MLB team outside the United States.
On July 18, the Blue Jays announced that they would not be playing home games in Canada as planned. After days of uncertainty, the team goes to Buffalo, New York, where the team has its triple-a club.
All baseball games, regardless of city, are played without fans.
How is the schedule different this year?
To keep travel to a minimum, teams play in the closest geographic areas. Therefore, expect mainly in-division games with Interleague, which are only limited to those in the division of the opposing league (AL East vs. NL East, AL Central vs. NL Central, AL West vs. NL West).
Therefore, as CBS Sports noted in his example, the Nationals will only play against rival NL East teams, with interleague games against AL East teams. This means we may not see the troubled Houston Astros until the Yankees post-season, but those looking for the Stros who hit the garbage cans to get a little comeuppance can count on their games against the Dodgers in a rematch of the happy 2017 World Series. The first matchup between the two teams will take place on July 28th and 29th in Houston.
Are there any changes to additional innings?
To make sure the games don't last too long, USA Today's Bob Nightengale said the extra inning game will start with a second place for the hit team. This would continue every half inning until there is a winner.
All extra inning games start with a runner on the second base, starting on the 10th.
- Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale), June 24, 2020
Is there a DH in the NL?
The position of the thrower in the stroke order becomes a designated hitter, with MLB introducing a universal DH for the 2020 season.
What about extended playoffs?
While there was talk of expansion, the playoffs for the 2020 season remain at 10 teams.
Who doesn't play
Some players have already said that they will not be playing in the shortened season. Here are some of the current players who have announced that they will be sitting outside:
- Mike Leake (Arizona Diamondbacks)
- Joe Ross (Washington Nationals)
- Ian Desmond (Colorado Rockies)
- Ryan Zimmerman (Washington Nationals)
- David Price (Los Angeles Dodgers)
- Welington Castillo (Washington Nationals)
- Felix Hernandez (Atlanta Braves)
- Nick Markakis (Atlanta Braves)
- Buster Posey (San Francisco Giants)
- Michael Kopech (Chicago White Sox)
- Héctor Noesí (Pirates of Pittsburgh)
- Jordan Hicks (Cardinals of St. Louis)
Other players, like Los Angeles Angels superstar Mike Trout, have indicated that they may take the time to be with their families. Trout and his wife Jessica are expecting their first child in August, but he has played so far.
21-year-old national star Juan Soto missed the opening night after testing positive for COVID-19, but it's unclear how long he'll be missing.
Juan Soto, the star of the Washington Nationals, tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss today's season opener against the New York Yankees, sources told ESPN.
- Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan), July 23, 2020
