When the coronavirus cases began to rise in the United States in March, professional baseball was one of the first sports to be postponed. At the time, teams were in the middle of spring training games, and ultimately were looking at postponing games and Opening Day by two weeks into mid-April. As the world began to shut down further, the MLB came out with an official statement that the seasons were officially postponed until May. However, as the days to the May restart date became fewer, the number of cases began to climb. Once again, the MLB came out to the public that the season would remain suspended until further notice, but they revealed an outline of what divisions would look like when the season did begin, as well as steps taken to maintain safety for all players and coaches. Finally, on July 1, players were able to report back to spring training for both baseball and virus training. Fans from all around the world cheered as they were able to watch baseball for the first time all year on July 23.

The 2020 season was definitely unlike all others. Many teams had to reschedule games after players and staff members tested positive for the virus. With the priority of the safety of the teams, the season continued. The official season ended this past weekend, leaving each team playing an average of 60 games (the goal highlighted by the MLB back in May). Sixteen teams have moved on to play in the 2020 playoffs. From the American League, the Tampa Bay Rays (40-27), Toronto Blue Jays (32-28), Cleveland Indians (35-35), New York Yankees (33-27), Minnesota Twins (36-24), Houston Astros (29-31), Oakland Athletics (36-24), and the Chicago White Sox (35-25) will begin the fight for the ALDS division championship. The Los Angeles Dodgers (43-17), Milwaukee Brewers (29-31), San Diego Padres (37-23), St. Louis Cardinals (30-28), Chicago Cubs (34-26), Miami Marlins (31-28), Atlanta Braves (35-25), and Cincinnati Reds (31-29) will do the same for the National League. The first round of the playoffs start September 30, and go through October 2. The next two rounds (October 5-10) will determine the division champion. Finally, the World Series games will be held on  October 20-28. For the official postseason schedule, click here. 

All playoff games will be conducted as they have in previous years, however, without fans and more safety precautions in place (for example, masks in the dugout and socially distancing when possible). As of now, the World Series games will also be conducted as normal, with the slight change of location in order to prevent the spread of the virus. The MLB is also in close contact with the CDC, so if any developments arise that will affect either the playoffs or the World Series, other options will be released publicly.

2020 has been no home-run to baseball fans. Luckily, we were able to watch some baseball, and the games will continue. So while you are enjoying your pumpkin spice lattes and Halloween decorations, throw on some of your team’s colors, because the postseason is just getting started.

All information included in this story can be found on the official MLB website, as well as MLB approved articles linked on their page.