Contenders Say Champion Of Compacted MLB Season Will Be Legit

There had not been so many calls for asterisks in baseball since 1961.

That was the season, of course, when Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth’s single-season home run record. Traditionalists, as well as then-Commissioner Ford Frick, said Maris’ feat should include an asterisk because he hit his 61 homers in a 162-game season while Ruth hit 60 over a 154-game schedule in 1927.

When Major League Baseball announced its plan in July for teams to play 60-game schedules this year during the COVID-19 pandemic, the traditionalists – and even many non-traditionalists – talked about asterisks again.

The thought was that much of what happened during a season just 37.5 percent of the normal length would not be valid. Beyond the statistical anomalies of a smaller sample size, critics said a true champion could not be crowned following such a shortened season.

The school of thought was that whoever emerged as the World Series winner would never be taken as seriously as champions than a team that endured a 162-game march.

Well, the shortened season is almost over as it is scheduled to end Sunday with the possibility of the St. Louis Cardinals and Detroit Tigers needing to make up a postponed doubleheader Monday.

Somehow, it looks like MLB is going to get through a schedule that has been impacted by COVID-19 outbreaks, social justice protests, a hurricane and wildfires.

The expanded postseason, which will include 16 teams rather than the usual 10, begins next Tuesday. A champion will be crowned by the end of October.

A total of 22 teams have either clinched berth or still harbor hopes of reaching the playoffs. It might not be wise to tell those teams that this season does not count.

Chicago Cubs rookie manager David Ross could not hide his pride Tuesday night when his team clinched a spot in the National League playoffs.

“It’s very rewarding for that group in there that they’ve put in a lot of hard work in a unique atmosphere that has presented a lot of challenges,” said Ross, who took over for Joe Maddon this season. “Being away from their families, being tested, it would be really easy to get outside the rules, but they stayed accountable to one another. There’s so much to be proud of from my point of view.”

The St. Louis Cardinals are still in the playoff picture even though their season was suspended for 16 days from July 31-Aug. 15 when 10 players tested positive for COVID 19. It the Cardinals wind up having to make the trip to Detroit, it will be their 12^th doubleheader of the season as they have scrambled for weeks to make up postponed games.

Nine-time All-Star catcher Yadier Molina did not hesitate with an answer when asked how accomplishments in 2020 would compare to those of other seasons.

Keep in mind, this is a player who has won nine Gold Gloves, appeared in nine All-Star Games and has won two World Series rings. The 38-year-old marvel has quite a bit of perspective.

“It’s been a grind and it feels like a regular 162-game season, but we’ve just concentrated on ourselves and trying to do the best we can,” Molina said. “Right now, we’re finding a way to get wins. It’s a weird year, but we hope it’s going to be a special year and we’ll be the COVID World Series champs. It would be a very special, maybe more special in some ways.”

Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo agrees. Navigating the numerous coronavirus protocols put into place by MLB as well as playing 60 games in a compacted 67-day season has left everyone feeling weary.

“We’ve played 50-something games, but it feels like 150-something,” Rizzo said earlier this week. “Even though it seems kind of weird that the season is already almost over, there hasn’t been anything easy about it. It’s been just as difficult as a normal season. To make the playoffs in a year like this, we feel like we’ve earned it and we deserve to be there.”