NEW YORK – Seven-over double-kickers and runners-up on second base to start extra innings will return for a second consecutive season under an agreement for 2021 health protocols reached Monday between Major League Baseball and the Players’ Association.
The agreement did not include last year’s experimental rule to extend the designated victim to the National League or extended play-off match. After allowing 16 teams in the post-season instead of 10 last year, MLB proposed 14 for this year before withdrawing the plan last month.
Last year’s extended play-out deal only came together hours before the first season of the season.
There were 78 extra innings last year and the longest innings were two 13 innings in Houston, which was won on July 29 by the Los Angeles Dodgers and on August 7 by Oakland. Every previous season since 1901 has had at least one game of 15 innings or longer.
There were 45 matches postponed for COVID-19 reasons and only two were not made up, between St. Louis and Detroit. To achieve this, there were 56 double heads, the most since 76 in 1984. About 12% of the games were part of double heads, the highest percentage since 13.6 in 1978.
The agreement includes more sophisticated contact detection for COVID-19, which includes the use of technology, and more rules on behavior to comply with new coronavirus protocols.
Spring training opens on February 17 and the season begins on April 1. Last week, the union rejected MLB’s proposal to postpone spring training and the opening day until April 28, a plan that would lead to a composite schedule of 154 games per team instead of the usual 162 .
The start of last season was delayed due to the pandemic from March 26 to July 23, and the schedule of each team was reduced to 60 matches.