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The Detroit Tigers open their 2020 schedule tonight against the Reds in Cincinnati. Matthew Boyd will pitch against Sonny Gray. Broadcast coverage begins at 5:45 on 99.3 The Lift.
The Milwaukee Brewers open their season this evening against the Cubs in Chicago. Brandon Woodruff will start against Kyle Hendricks.
Barring any more changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, each major league team will play 60 regular-season games. To limit travel, 40 will be against teams from within their own division. 20 will be against teams in the corresponding division from the other league.
No fans are being allowed into stadiums at this point.
Yesterday, team owners and players agreed to expand this year’s playoffs to 16 teams. A best-of-three games preliminary round will send eight winners to the best-of-five games Division Series. The League Championship Series and the World Series will each be best-of-seven games events.
Some rules changes have been instituted for this season only:
• All teams will use a designated hitter, including National League squads;
• If a game is tied after nine innings, each subsequent half-inning will begin with a runner at second base
One permanent rule change that was passed before the pandemic broke out will also take effect – relief pitchers must face at least three batters before being replaced, unless the inning ends before that total is reached.
The Toronto Blue Jays remain homeless. The Canadian government recently denied permission to host games at the Rogers Centre, citing the dangers of travel into the country from the United States, where the COVID-19 pandemic has been poorly controlled. A deal to play home games in Pittsburgh was rejected by the state of Pennsylvania, after COVID-19 cases there increased 1,000 percent in the past two weeks. Discussions continue for possible use of the Orioles facility in Baltimore, but that city has also seen an increase in COVID-19 infections, and there are logistical problems with co-locating two teams in the same park. Hartford, Connecticut has offered to host the Jays. The city is home to the Double-A Hartford Yard Goats. Their field is considered one of the best minor league facilities in the country, and is not in use, because minor league baseball has been canceled for the summer. The Blue Jays’ first scheduled home game is Wednesday.
Finlandia
The Finlandia University volleyball team has added a new recruit. Lilian Stenberg was an all-conference honorable mention at Bark River-Harris High School.
NFL
The Detroit Lions have told their rookies not to report to training camp until the rest of the team is due on Tuesday. Rookies were scheduled to check in this week, but team owners and players haven’t yet worked out all the COVID-19 safety protocols.
Team owners and the players union still have not agreed on how salaries will be handled this season. The union maintains that, if the season begins, salaries should be paid in full. Owners want to be able to prorate salaries if games need to be canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Washington football team will be known this season as… the Washington Football Team. The club scrapped the racially-insensitive “Redskins” name after protests this spring. Officials say they’ll take their time selecting a new name. The team’s Indian head logo will be removed. The signature gold and burgundy colors will remain.
NHL
The National Hockey League’s newest team has a name. The Seattle Kraken will begin play in the fall of 2021. The name comes from Scandinavian folklore. The kraken was a giant octopus that was said to terrorize sailors in the North Atlantic. Team officials say the name was chosen early this year, but they waited to announce it until all the rights had been secured. The team’s logo is a stylized “S” built around an octopus tentacle.
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