Playoffs to include 16 teams this year
Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association jointly announced Thursday that the 2020 postseason will expand to 16 teams, beginning with eight best-of-three Wild Card Series preceding the Division Series.
All of the new postseason games will be exclusively televised by ESPN and TBS. Major League Clubs unanimously approved the expansion of the postseason via conference call, and the Major League Players also have approved the new system.
The higher seeds in the Wild Card Series will host all three games, which are scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 29 through Friday, Oct. 2.
Kershaw placed on injured list
The Dodgers placed Clayton Kershaw, their opening day starter, on the injured list with back stiffness Thursday hours before taking the field to begin their season against the San Francisco Giants.
The club recalled righthander Dustin May, who was optioned earlier in the day. He became the first rookie to make an opening day start for the Dodgers since Fernando Valenzuela in 1981.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Kershaw, who was scheduled to make his franchise-record ninth opening day start, hurt his back in the weight room Tuesday. Kershaw went to Dodger Stadium on Thursday for treatment before the club decided to place him on the injured list.
May made his Dodgers debut last August and went 2-3 with a 3.63 ERA with 32 strikeouts in 342⁄3 innings. May made four starts in his 14 appearances.
Orioles, Blue Jays may share park
The Baltimore Orioles and the state of Maryland have had talks about the team sharing Oriole Park at Camden Yards with the displaced Toronto Blue Jays amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The Blue Jays are looking for a major league park after the Canadian government declined to allow them to play in Toronto, and the state of Pennsylvania nixed a deal to play in Pittsburgh because of frequent travel throughout the United States.