60(ish) Games Isn't a Real Season...but It's Going to Be Epic

[Matthew Taylor]

Rob Manfred and Tony Clark met face-to-face earlier this week and appear to have made major progress on getting a season rolling in the ballpark of 60 games. A season so short will hardly resemble a real baseball season, but it might just be the most exciting season we’ve ever seen.One of the beautiful things about the game of baseball is the length of the season. Any team can get hot for 40 or 50 games, but over 162 games? You can’t fake that. It’s for that reason that teams don’t “sneak” into the postseason in baseball, and for that reason that the best teams almost always make it. The 162-game season separates the contenders from the pretenders and rewards a process-oriented mindset over anything.

 

By reducing the number of games it plays in 2020 to a meager 60-70 games, the very essence of how a baseball season looks and feels will be drastically altered. What was a marathon will become a sprint, and what was process-oriented thinking will turn into results-oriented thinking. It’s not going to be real baseball. It’s not going to be pure baseball. But it’s going to be epic.

 

Remember the final 60 game stretch of the 2019 Minnesota Twins season? When the Twins were even with the Indians after surrendering an 11 game lead and every game was must watch television? Remember how you couldn’t miss a game, let alone a pitch? Now imagine that feeling for an entire season. That’s what the 2020 season is going to be like.

 

A 60-game season will mean that each game is worth roughly 3 games from a regular season. In a normal season, a win or loss on a given day would have a very minimal impact on your overall outlook as a club. In a 60-game season, though? Each and every game will carry enormous weight. Every pitching change, pinch hit appearance and walk-off will hold huge implications. Love a good underdog? A shorter season will mean that every team will have a realistic shot at making the playoffs. As mentioned earlier, any team can get hot for 40 or 50 games, and any team can make the playoffs in a 60-game season. Combine that with an expanded playoff field, and expect there to be a 30-way mad dash for the postseason.

 

For die-hard baseball fans, a 162-game season is something pure and something that we have all grown accustomed to loving. For the casual fan, though, the season is too long. Because of the lack of importance on a game-to-game basis, too many people tune out of baseball during the regular season and hop in during the postseason where games hold more weight. A 60-game season where each game holds the utmost of importance, though, figures to draw more viewers, bring in more casual fans, and attract a new audience to the game we love most.

 

No, a 60-game season is not ideal and no, it shouldn’t be adapted as the new norm. For the 2020 season, though, when we’re all starving for baseball after 8 long months without it, a shortened season will bring the fireworks. Get your popcorn ready!

 

Are you excited about the prospect of a 60(ish) game season? Will you be inclined to watch more games in a 60-game season than you would in a 162-game season? Leave a comment below and start the conversation!

 

MORE FROM TWINS DAILY

— Latest Twins coverage from our writers

— Recent Twins discussion in our forums

— Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email

 

Click here to view the article

[theBOMisthebomb]

I just don't know how to feel about such a short season. I see a lot of football fans crowing that the baseball season is too long. The beauty of the baseball season is the 162 game grind (which gets cheapened every time they expand the # of teams in the playoffs). I suppose there will be a loud faction of (non-purist) casual baseball fans yelling to shorten the season in the future if a 60 game 2020 season happens with positive reviews. I am just going to take what I can get as far as games in 2020 and enjoy it.

[TFRazor]

So basically the pennant race starts on Day 1? I can dig it.

[Trov]

If we even get there.  From what I have read the owners thought there was a deal at 60, then players say no no no, that was just a proposal from your side.  We want 10 more games, and some more money too.  So some owners, who barely agreed to go to 60 are now not happy.  Will they split in the middle at 65? Makes sense, but nothing during this process has made sense.  Can 10 games really stand in the way?  Can 5 games really stand in the way?  The 10 games is about 8.4 million per team.  Not a whole lot, but it just seems like both sides want to say yeah we won this one.  

 

With the amount of money the owners have it is like fighting over a few bucks to most of us.  The thing is, these guys are business people that do deals all the time and want to feel they won the deal.  Players have felt like they have been on losing end of deals for past decade now and they are fed up.  However, should the owners operate at a loss simply because they can?  No business plan calls for losing money.  You do not own a business and let it run at a loss for extended periods of time simply because your other businesses make money and you will be fine.  You run a business to make money.  How many stock holders of a business are okay with their stock prices going down because the business is losing money? 

[TouchEmAllGuy]

No doubt it will be fun! I usually watch/listen to about 70-80% of the regular season. I anticipate I'll be around the same for the shortened season.

[In My La Z boy]

What does Pineda's suspension look like in a 65 game season? 

With our bullpen, and with Hill healthy, we may have as good a chance as anyone - and maybe having Pineda for most of these games? I like our chances.

[Matthew Taylor]

 

What does Pineda's suspension look like in a 65 game season? 

With our bullpen, and with Hill healthy, we may have as good a chance as anyone - and maybe having Pineda for most of these games? I like our chances.

All indications are that MLB will not prorate suspensions, so Pineda will serve the same suspension in a 65 game season that he would serve in a 162 game season. Definitely not a great situation for Pineda or the Twins.

[highlander]

If MLB is going to ho to a super short season I would suggest playing all games in the division and take the top 2 teams in each division into the playoffs. Seed according to plans then record. Top 2 division winners get a bye. 9 game series 3 game home stand 3 times first team to 5 wins takes the series. Go back to a traditional 7 game World Series.

[Loops]

Not a fan of it.  If you get off to a slow start as the Twins and almost any other team have done, your season is done before it starts.  While it helps that they will add more teams to the playoffs, it is just playing the games to say baseball exists.  It will really mean nothing.

[In My La Z boy]

5 Phillies just tested positive along with 3 staff in Clearwater. I'm thinking it is over.

[howeda7]

Our over-reaction in game day threads will no longer be over-reactions.

[denarded]

 

What does Pineda's suspension look like in a 65 game season? 

With our bullpen, and with Hill healthy, we may have as good a chance as anyone - and maybe having Pineda for most of these games? I like our chances.

 

Pineda will have 1 regular season start

 

[DannySD]

It's going to be fun, and the Twins are pretty well positioned. I think they'll win it all! 

[IndianaTwin]

 

Our over-reaction in game day threads will no longer be over-reactions.

 

Does that mean that TD will allow us the opportunity to use
even bigger type when we celebrate a home run? 

 

[IndianaTwin]

With some of the formats they were discussing earlier, it was intriguing to think of the scheduling options. For example, in the three-leagues-of-10-teams format, two home-and-home series (12 games) against the nine teams made for a nice 108 games.

 

But with just 60 or games on the docket, that really ratchets up the importance of a single series against a contending opponent.

[joefish]

Giddy up.

[Nine of twelve]

The next MLB season to be played will have 162 games for each team.

[Shaitan]

I hate to grammar police because this is well-intentioned and I know you mean that a 60 game season will be exciting, but I still feel I should point out that a short season is literally the opposite of what "epic" means.

[Matthew Taylor]

 

I hate to grammar police because this is well-intentioned and I know you mean that a 60 game season will be exciting, but I still feel I should point out that a short season is literally the opposite of what "epic" means.

Haha I appreciate the feedback. Meant it in the informal way, "particularly impressive or remarkable"