MLB’s short season offers oddball rules

So, where were we?

Mid-March, a spring training exhibition between the Cardinals and Marlins at

Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida. Even before the final out, both sides had gotten the official word: Major League Baseball was shutting down immediately because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“It felt like the most meaningless baseball game in the history of the sport,” Cardinals infielder Matt Carpenter said.

So now, they’ll try again.

A skewed, 60-game schedule, rather than the full plate of 162, with opening day on July 23 or 24. A shortened, contorted season ordered by Commissioner Rob Manfred on Tuesday night after billionaire owners and multimillion-dollar players couldn’t come to a new economic agreement against the backdrop of the virus outbreak.

“What happens when we all get it?” Brewers pitcher Brett Anderson tweeted this week.

From the start, a sprint to the finish. Got to come out strong. Remember last year: The Nationals began 27-33 and wound up hoisting the World Series trophy.

Perhaps it’s the perfect setup for outsiders like the Padres or Mariners to sneak into the championship chase.

Let’s not forget those Astros, either. They were the biggest story in baseball when we last saw them, with fans taunting Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and their accomplices following the trash can-banging, sign-stealing scandal that made national headlines over the winter.

Some things, chances are, won’t change when the games resume.

No minor leagues this year, tough luck there. The majors, meanwhile, give new meaning to short-season ball.

A look at what’s on deck:

■ An automatic runner on second base to begin all extra innings. Designated hitters in NL games. Pitchers with their own personal rosin bags.

This season will look like no other in baseball history, the price for trying to play amid a pandemic.

“So long National League. It was fun while it lasted,” Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright tweeted.

The extra-inning rule, that’s bound to bring new strategy, different stats to dissect and an innovative twist on the game.

■ The huge stat question: Could someone hit .400 in this shortened season?

NL MVP Cody Bellinger got off to a scorching start last year, batting .376 after the Dodgers’ 60th game. He finished at .305.

Chipper Jones was the most recent to top .400 through 60 — he was at .409 in 2008. Larry Walker (.417) and Tony Gwynn (.403) both started fast in 1997, the Elias Sports Bureau said.

Fewer games, a lot of walks, a couple of infield knocks, yep, it’s possible. But there’s a reason Ted Williams remains the last player to hit the hallowed mark in a full season, batting .406 in 1941 (always splendid, he was at .407 after 60).