2020 Major League Baseball season

This article is about the 2020 Major League Baseball season only. For information on all of baseball, see2020 in baseball.

The2020 Major League Baseball seasonbegan on July 23 and ended on September 27 with only 60 games amidst theCOVID-19 pandemic.The full 162-game regular season was planned to begin on March 26, but the pandemic causedMajor League Baseball(MLB) to announce on March 12 that the remainder ofspring trainingwas canceled and that the start of the regular season would be delayed by at least two weeks.On March 16, MLB announced that the season would be postponed indefinitely, following recommendations from theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) to restrict events of more than 50 people.This was the first time that MLB games had been put on hold since the2001 season,when the season was paused for over a week after theSeptember 11 attacks.

2020 MLB season
League	Major League Baseball
Sport	Baseball
Duration	July 23 – October 27, 2020
Number of games	60
Number of teams	30
TV partner(s)	Fox/FS1,TBS,ESPN,MLB Network
Draft
Top draft pick	Spencer Torkelson
Picked by	Detroit Tigers
Regular season
SeasonMVP	AL:José Abreu(CWS) NL:Freddie Freeman(ATL)
Postseason
ALchampions	Tampa Bay Rays
AL runners-up	Houston Astros
NLchampions	Los Angeles Dodgers
NL runners-up	Atlanta Braves
World Series
Champions	Los Angeles Dodgers
Runners-up	Tampa Bay Rays
World SeriesMVP	Corey Seager(LAD)

Astros

Angels

Athletics

Mariners

Rangers

White Sox

Indians

Tigers

Royals

Twins

Orioles

Red
Sox

Yankees

Rays

Blue
Jays

class=notpageimage|

Locations ofALteams for the 2020 MLB season
WestCentralEast

Diamondbacks

Rockies

Dodgers

Padres

Giants

Cubs

Reds

Brewers

Pirates

Cardinals

Braves

Marlins

Mets

Phillies

Nationals

class=notpageimage|

Locations ofNLteams for the 2017–present MLB seasons
WestCentralEast

Spring training resumed on July 1 and was rebranded as "Summer Camp".On July 3, theAll-Star Gamewas canceled because of the delay to the regular season.Dodger Stadium,which was set to host the game, went on to host the2022 All-Star Game.

On July 18, theCanadian federal governmentdenied permission for theToronto Blue Jaysto play their home games atRogers Centrein 2020 on grounds that repeatedcross-border tripsby both the Blue Jays and their opponents would be a major risk due to the higher spikes in COVID-19 cases in the U.S. compared to those in Canada. The Blue Jays then chose to play their home games atSahlen FieldinBuffalo,home of theirTriple-AaffiliateBuffalo Bisons.

An expanded 16-team postseason tournament began on September 29, with games of all but the first round being played at neutral sites. TheWorld Seriesbegan on October 20 atGlobe Life FieldinArlington,and ended on October 27, with theLos Angeles Dodgersdefeating theTampa Bay Raysin six games to win their first title since 1988.

Schedule

The 2020 schedule greatly differed fromthe normal 162-game schedule.In an effort to reduce travel, each team played only nine opponents during the regular season instead of the usual 19 or 20. Teams were scheduled to play 10 games against each of their four division opponents. The remaining 20 games of the 60-game schedule wereinterleague contests.To reduce travel, the interleague division match-ups were AL East vs NL East, AL Central vs NL Central, and AL West vs NL West.At 60 games, this was the shortest regular season since 1878.

Several international and neutral-site games originally scheduled for the season were canceled due to COVID-19:

• On March 19, theMexico SeriesandPuerto Rico Seriesgames were canceled; the former would have featured theSan Diego Padresand theArizona DiamondbacksatMexico City'sEstadio Alfredo Harp Helú,and the latter featuring theNew York Metsand theMiami MarlinsatHiram Bithorn StadiuminSan Juan.
• On April 1, MLB canceled theLondon Series,which would have featured theChicago Cubsand theSt. Louis CardinalsatLondon Stadium.
• On April 30, MLB canceled theMLB Little League ClassicatBB&T BallparkinWilliamsport, Pennsylvania,coinciding with theLittle League World Series,which was scheduled to be played on August 23 between theBoston Red SoxandBaltimore Orioles.This cancellation coincided with the cancellation of the2020 Little League World Series.
• On August 3, MLB canceledMLB at Field of Dreams— a game that was scheduled to be played on August 13 between theSt. Louis CardinalsandChicago White Soxat a temporary 8,000-seat ballpark on theDyersville, Iowafarm site of the 1989sports filmField of Dreams.The game was postponed to 2021.

March agreement between MLB and MLBPA

On March 26, MLB and theMajor League Baseball Players Association(MLBPA) reached an agreement on multiple considerations related to the start of the season being delayed, including:

• The2020 MLB draftwas to be held by July 20 and reduced from 40 rounds to five rounds.
• Player salaries were pro-rated, based on the length of the regular season.
• Players will receive full service time for the season, regardless of the length of the season
• Roster moves were frozen as of March 27, until the season began.

Possible schedules

The indefinite delay of the season caused MLB to internally consider a number of scenarios for playing the season, as well as analysts suggesting ways it could be done. A shortened regular season, a season with manydoubleheaders,and a postseason extending into late November with aWorld Seriesat an indoor or warm-weather neutral site were suggested.

In early April,Jeff PassanofESPNreported that MLB was "increasingly focused on a plan that could allow them to start the season as early as May and has the support of high-ranking federal public health officials".The plan would have involved all 30 teams playing games with no fans in stadiums around thePhoenix metropolitan area,includingChase Fieldandspring trainingcomplexes. Players would have lived in isolation at local hotels.

Another report fromUSA Todaybaseball writerBob Nightengaledetailed another MLB proposal utilizing the Phoenix metro sites, but with the additional use of spring training sites inFlorida,Marlins ParkinMiami,andSt. Petersburg'sTropicana Field.In addition, the 30 teams would be re-aligned for the season depending on their spring training sites into six divisions based upon their locations in Arizona and Florida and agnostic to the usual AL/NL demarcations and traditional geographic rivalries, effectively making the spring trainingCactus LeagueandGrapefruit Leagueregular-season leagues.Nointerleague playwould take place and thedesignated hitterrule would be utilized for all 30 teams, with the World Series occurring in November utilizing the larger MLB sites.

Disagreement over plans for a shortened season

During May and June, MLB andMajor League Baseball Players Association(MLBPA) were unable to agree on a specific plan for a shortened season.

In mid-May the MLB owners proposed a schedule of 82 games, to begin in July, withgames to be played without fans in attendance.To minimize travel, teams would play only against other teams in their geographical division, plus interleague games against teams in the corresponding division of the other league. A team would play 13 games against each division rival and six games against each team in the other league's division.Postseason play would be expanded from 10 teams to 14, with each league fielding three division winners and four wild card teams. A designated hitter would be allowed in all games. Teams would have 30-man rosters available for each game. The proposal also outlined safety measures for health of players and staff and a modified compensation plan for players.

On June 1, the MLBPA countered with a 114-game proposal, with a regular season running from June 30 to October 31, a November postseason, giving players the right to opt-out of participating, a salary deferral plan in the event the postseason has to be canceled due to a second wave of the virus, and a $100 million advance during the second spring training, among others.

Owners then submitted a 76-game proposal to the players on June 8, with the regular season ending on September 27, the postseason ending in October, 75 percent prorated player salaries, and playoff pool money, among others.The MLBPA responded one day later with an 89-game plan with full prorated player salaries.The owners then sent a 72-game plan with 70 percent prorated player salaries, to which the MLBPA replied in a statement on June 13, "Further dialogue with the league would be futile. It's time to get back to work. Tell us when and where."However, the week of June 15 saw the owners propose a 60-game season while MLBPA counter with a 70-game season,which on June 19 was rejected by the owners.

Amid an increase in cases inArizonaandFlorida,including positive cases among staff of the Phillies, and a Blue Jays player showing signs of symptoms, it was reported on June 19 that all spring training sites would be temporarily closed for deep cleaning, and all players would be required to test negative for COVID-19 before entering.It was then reported on June 20 that almost all MLB teams had elected to re-locate their training camps back to their home cities.

On June 22, hours after the MLBPA rejected the MLB's offer to play a 60-game season, MLB owners voted unanimously to impose the 60-game plan.By allowing the owners to unilaterally implement such a plan without the MLBPA, both sides retained the right to file a grievance against the other for not negotiating in good faith.On June 23, both sides agreed to health and safety protocols. Players reported to training camp July 1.Due to concerns related to the pandemic, several players chose not to play the season.

Revised 60-game schedule

On July 6, MLB released the revised schedule for the shortened 60-game season.In the new schedule, teams played 10 games against each of their four divisional opponents in three series, with an unequal number of home games against each opponent. Each team had 20 home games for division opponents.

Interleague play comprised the other 20 games of the schedule, all against the division of the opposite league, temporarily suspending the yearly rotation of which divisions play each other. Like normal seasons in which corresponding interleague divisions play each other (e.g. 2018), teams played six games against their"natural rival"and three or four games against each of the other four teams in the division.However, for this year only, theCleveland Indianswere paired with thePittsburgh Piratesinstead of their normalrivals,theCincinnati Reds,and theDetroit Tigerswere paired with the Reds instead of the Pirates. This was done to reduce travel for all four teams.

The season started on July 23, with two games:New York YankeesatWashington NationalsandSan Francisco GiantsatLos Angeles Dodgers.The remaining 26 teams opened the season on July 24.

On July 23, MLB and MLBPA announced that the postseason would be an expanded 16-team playoff tournament for 2020 only, instead of the normal 10-team tournament. All first and second place teams in the six divisions would qualify for the playoffs. The final two spots in each league would go to the remaining teams with the best win–loss records. The teams in each league would be seeded by division winners (1–3), division runners-up (4–6), and best teams remaining (7–8). Seeding ties would be resolved by head-to-head record, intra-league record, and record in final 20 intra-league games, to remove the necessity for additional games. The first round of the playoffs would be a best-of-three series called the Wild Card Series, with all games to be played at the home of the higher seeded team. After that, the postseason would follow the usual pattern of five-game Division series, seven-game League Championship Series, and a seven-game World Series.

Postponed games

COVID-19

Main article:Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports

COVID-19 outbreaks among theMiami MarlinsandSt. Louis Cardinals,as well as positive tests on theCincinnati Reds,New York Mets,Oakland Athletics,andSan Francisco Giants,resulted in the postponement of a total of 40 games.

Miami received confirmation that starting pitcherJosé Ureñahad tested positive and would not be available on July 26, but the team decided to play the third and final game of their scheduled series against thePhiladelphia Philliesat the direction of Major League Baseball. After additional Miami players and coaches tested positive, MLB postponed Miami's four-game home-and-home series with theBaltimore Orioles,and Philadelphia's four-game home-and-home series with theNew York Yankees,both originally scheduled from July 27 to 30.In order to allow for some flexibility in making games up, the Yankees and Orioles played two games against each other in Baltimore July 29 and 30, moving them up one week from their originally scheduled dates of August 3 and 4. The Marlins later confirmed that 21 players and coaches tested positive.The next series for both teams, Miami's home series against theWashington Nationalsand Philadelphia's series at theToronto Blue Jays,were postponed. Both series would have taken place from July 31 to August 2.

St. Louis had six positive tests resulting in the postponement of three games at theMilwaukee Brewersfrom July 31 to August 2.Four additional games, a home-and-home series against theDetroit Tigersoriginally scheduled for August 3 to 6, were also postponed after an additional seven positive tests were reported.After continued positive tests throughout the next week, St. Louis's three-game series against theChicago Cubs,originally August 7 to 9, and their three-game series against thePittsburgh Pirates,originally August 10 to 12, were postponed. A doubleheader against Detroit on August 13 which would have been made up games from August 3 and 4 was also postponed and later canceled.

Cincinnati had a player test positive resulting in the postponement of two games against Pittsburgh on August 15 and 16.Cincinnati's game against theKansas City Royalson August 18 was postponed as well.

The New York Mets had a player and staff member test positive resulting in the postponement of their August 20 game against Miami and their three-game series against the New York Yankees on August 21 to 23.

Oakland had a positive test resulting in the postponement of their August 30 game against theHouston Astros.As a precaution, Oakland's three-game series against theSeattle Marinerson September 1 to 3 was postponed.

San Francisco had a positive test resulting in the postponement of two games against theSan Diego Padresoriginally scheduled for September 11 and 12.

All postponed games were made up except for two games between the St. Louis Cardinals and Detroit Tigers, with both teams completing 58 out of 60 games. This had no bearing on the playoff teams other than seeding.

Shooting of Jacob Blake

Main article:2020 American athlete strikes

Player protests in response to theshooting of Jacob BlakeinKenosha, Wisconsinresulted in the postponement of 11 games.

TheMilwaukee Brewersannounced that they would not play their August 26 game against the Cincinnati Reds in the wake of the shooting, following threeNBA playoff gamesthat were postponed the same day. Two additional games were postponed that day.Seven games on August 27 and one game on August 28 were also postponed.

Spring training

Spring trainingfor the 2020 season took place in two segments. The first segment began in late February and lasted until mid-March, abruptly ending early due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.Teams began workouts and practice for spring training beginning in late February. Pitchers and catchers reported first, followed by position players a few days later.Following the MLB owners unanimous vote to impose the 60-game regular season plan, the second segment of spring training began with players reporting to training camp starting July 1.

Prior to the start of the regular season, each team played between 18 and 24 spring training games, from February 21 to March 12 and July 18 to July 22. There were several times during spring training where a team had two different squads playing different teams simultaneously. In addition to spring training games, teams occasionally played exhibition games with non-MLB teams, such asMinor League Baseballteams,independentteams, orcollegeteams. These exhibition games were not counted in spring training standings. Spring training ended on July 22, the day before Opening Day.

Standings

American League

AL East

Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
(1)Tampa Bay Rays	40	20	.667	—	20‍–‍9	20‍–‍11
(5)New York Yankees	33	27	.550	7	22‍–‍9	11‍–‍18
(8)Toronto Blue Jays	32	28	.533	8	17‍–‍9	15‍–‍19
Baltimore Orioles	25	35	.417	15	13‍–‍20	12‍–‍15
Boston Red Sox	24	36	.400	16	11‍–‍20	13‍–‍16

AL Central

Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
(3)Minnesota Twins	36	24	.600	—	24‍–‍7	12‍–‍17
(4)Cleveland Indians	35	25	.583	1	18‍–‍12	17‍–‍13
(7)Chicago White Sox	35	25	.583	1	18‍–‍12	17‍–‍13
Kansas City Royals	26	34	.433	10	15‍–‍15	11‍–‍19
Detroit Tigers	23	35	.397	12	12‍–‍15	11‍–‍20

AL West

Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
(2)Oakland Athletics	36	24	.600	—	22‍–‍10	14‍–‍14
(6)Houston Astros	29	31	.483	7	20‍–‍9	9‍–‍22
Seattle Mariners	27	33	.450	9	14‍–‍10	13‍–‍23
Los Angeles Angels	26	34	.433	10	16‍–‍15	10‍–‍19
Texas Rangers	22	38	.367	14	16‍–‍14	6‍–‍24

National League

NL East

Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
(2)Atlanta Braves	35	25	.583	—	19‍–‍11	16‍–‍14
(6)Miami Marlins	31	29	.517	4	11‍–‍15	20‍–‍14
Philadelphia Phillies	28	32	.467	7	19‍–‍13	9‍–‍19
Washington Nationals	26	34	.433	9	15‍–‍18	11‍–‍16
New York Mets	26	34	.433	9	12‍–‍17	14‍–‍17

NL Central

Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
(3)Chicago Cubs	34	26	.567	—	19‍–‍14	15‍–‍12
(5)St. Louis Cardinals	30	28	.517	3	14‍–‍13	16‍–‍15
(7)Cincinnati Reds	31	29	.517	3	16‍–‍13	15‍–‍16
(8)Milwaukee Brewers	29	31	.483	5	15‍–‍14	14‍–‍17
Pittsburgh Pirates	19	41	.317	15	13‍–‍19	6‍–‍22

NL West

Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
(1)Los Angeles Dodgers	43	17	.717	—	21‍–‍9	22‍–‍8
(4)San Diego Padres	37	23	.617	6	21‍–‍11	16‍–‍12
San Francisco Giants	29	31	.483	14	19‍–‍14	10‍–‍17
Colorado Rockies	26	34	.433	17	12‍–‍18	14‍–‍16
Arizona Diamondbacks	25	35	.417	18	16‍–‍14	9‍–‍21

Postseason

Main article:2020 MLB Postseason

MLB announced the playoff bracket on September 15, consisting of eight teams from each league: the top two teams from each division, plus the teams from each league with the next two best records. The Wild Card Series was a best-of-three series at the home field of the higher-seeded team, while theDivision Series,League Championship Series,andWorld Serieswere their normal lengths, played at neutral sites, similar to those used for both theNational Basketball AssociationandNational Hockey Leagueplayoffs, to limit the possibility of another COVID-19 outbreak that could both disrupt the schedule and affect competitive integrity.Specifically, the American League played at theSan Diego Padres'Petco Parkand theLos Angeles Dodgers'Dodger Stadium,while the National League played at theTexas Rangers'Globe Life Fieldand theHouston Astros'Minute Maid Park,all from opposite leagues, so that no teams will play at their home ballparks in the weightiest rounds to avoid an unfair advantage.The World Series then took place at Globe Life Field.

TheMilwaukee BrewersandHouston Astrosbecame the first teams to make the postseason with a record below.500 since the1981 Royals.Both clubs went 29–31 (.483) in the regular season. The Astros became the first, and currently only, team with a record below.500 to win a playoff series, as they defeated theMinnesota Twinsin the Wild Card Series and theOakland Athleticsin the Division Series, before losing theAmerican League Championship Seriesto theTampa Bay Rays.They also became the first, and currently only, team with a record below.500 to win a playoff game, as the 1981 Royals and Brewers were swept in the first rounds they played. They also became just the second team to force a game seven after being down 3–0 to the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALCS, joining only the Boston Red Sox who ended up completing the comeback against the New York Yankees in 2004.

Bracket

	Wild Card Series (ALWCS, NLWCS)					Division Series (ALDS, NLDS)					League Championship Series (ALCS, NLCS)					World Series
	1	Tampa Bay	2
	8	Toronto	0
						1	Tampa Bay	3
						5	NY Yankees	2
	4	Cleveland	0
	5	NY Yankees	2
											1	Tampa Bay	4
	American League
											6	Houston	3
	3	Minnesota	0
	6	Houston	2
						6	Houston	3
						2	Oakland	1
	2	Oakland	2
	7	Chicago White Sox	1
																AL1	Tampa Bay	2
																NL1	LA Dodgers	4
	1	LA Dodgers	2
	8	Milwaukee	0
						1	LA Dodgers	3
						4	San Diego	0
	4	San Diego	2
	5	St. Louis	1
											1	LA Dodgers	4
	National League
											2	Atlanta	3
	3	Chicago Cubs	0
	6	Miami	2
						6	Miami	0
						2	Atlanta	3
	2	Atlanta	2
	7	Cincinnati	0

Rule changes

Further information:Major League Baseball rosters § Changes effective 2020

Permanent changes announced prior to season

The following changes, effective for the 2020 season,were officially announced by MLB on February 12:

• The size of theactive rosterexpands from 25 players to 26 players, through August 31.
  • During this time, and during the postseason, clubs can carry a maximum of 13 pitchers.
  • Any team that is playing the second game of a doubleheader or a scheduled neutral-site game (such as theMLB Little League Classic) may carry a 27th player for that game only. This player can either be a position player or pitcher.
• The size of theexpanded rosterin September is reduced from 40 players to 28 players.
  • During this time, clubs can carry a maximum of 14 pitchers.
  • Any team that is playing the second game of a doubleheader or a scheduled neutral-site game may carry a 29th player for that game only. This player can either be a position player or pitcher.
• Teams must designate players as either "position players" or "pitchers" before the start of the season.
  • Only players designated as pitchers will be allowed to pitch in any regular-season or postseason game, with limited exceptions (such as one team leading by at least seven runs, or the game going intoextra innings).
  • Once a position player has pitched at least 20 inningsandmade at least three plate appearances as a position player or designated hitter in each of 20 games, he earns the status of "two-way player" for the remainder of the season plus all of the next season. Players with this status may pitch at any time during a game. For this season only, any player who met the above requirements in either the 2018 or 2019 season qualifies for two-way status.
  • Players designated as pitchers, if placed on theinjured list,must spend a minimum of 15 days on the IL prior to being eligible for activation. Position players may be activated after a minimum of 10 days on the IL. Two-way players are subject to the rules for pitchers. The seven-day minimum on the IL for concussions remains unchanged.
• Pitchers and two-way players optioned to the minor leagues must remain there for at least 15 days before being eligible for recall to the major league club, rather than the previous 10-day minimum. The minimum option period for position players remains 10 days.
• A pitcher must face at least three batters unless the inning ends or the pitcher is injured.
• Managers now have up to 20 seconds to challenge a play (reduced from 30 seconds).

Additionally, Rule 7.04 governingprotested gameswas amended to read "Protesting a game shall never be permitted, regardless of whether such complaint is based on judgement decisions by the umpire or an allegation that an umpire misapplied these rules or otherwise rendered a decision in violation of these rules."

Temporary rules for shortened 2020 season

The following temporary rules for the shortened 2020 season were announced on June 24. Note that some of these additional changes supersede the rule changes which were announced in February.

• Each club could invite up to 60 players to its July training camp. The 60-man pool is composed of players on the 40-man roster and players currently signed to minor league contracts. Clubs were not required to include all members of their 40-man roster in the 60-man pool. The transaction freeze in place since March 27 was lifted on June 26. Only players eligible to play in the 2020 season could be invited to July camp, and only the 60 players included on the list submitted to the league office may be used by the team in regular season and postseason games for the 2020 season. If a player is added to the 60-man pool via trade, free agent signing, or other transaction, a corresponding transaction must be made to keep the total number of eligible players at 60. Players in the 60-man pool who were not on a club's 40-man roster at the start of July camp must be added to the 40-man and active rosters in the usual fashion before they may play in regular season or postseason games. Those not on the active roster train at an alternate training site.
• Thedesignated hitterwas used in both the American and National Leagues.
• Teams could have up to 30 active players on their opening day rosters. The active roster was reduced to 28 after the first two weeks of the season. Originally, the roster was set to reduce to reduce to 26 players after four weeks, but this reduction was eliminated on August 4.
• The minimum option period for players optioned to their club's training site is 10 days for both pitchers and position players. The provision requiring pitchers to remain in the minor leagues for 15 days is not in effect this season.
• The trade deadline was August 31 (moved from July 31).
• To be eligible for the postseason, a player must have been added to a club's 40-man roster by September 15.
• Clubs were permitted to carry ataxi-squadof players for away games. Originally, the squad was limited to three players. On August 4, the squad was expanded to five players. The original rule stipulated that if three players were carried, at least one had to be acatcher.It is unclear if that restriction remains under the new rule.
• In regular-season games, extra innings used theWorld Baseball Softball Confederationsoftball tiebreaker rule. Each half-inning of an extra inning automatically started with a runner on second base. The runner was the player in the batting order position immediately before the lead-off batter for the inning (or a pinch-runner, subject to the usual substitution rules). Should this runner score, it was considered an unearned run charged to the pitcher who started the inning. This rule does not apply to postseason games.
• There was a 10-day injured list for both pitchers and position players. The 60-day IL was reduced to 45 days.
• A separate IL exists for players who test positive for, have symptoms of, or have confirmed exposure to COVID-19. There is no maximum or minimum number of days for this IL.
• There are no limitations on eligible pitchers. The "two-way player" provisions announced in February do not apply for this season.
• Once the game has started, the postseason rule adopted in 2009 will be in effect in case ofinclement weatheruntil it has reachedofficial gamestatus. The game was declared asuspended game,continuing from the point of interruption instead of completely restarting.
• The postseason was expanded to include eight teams from each league. The first round was a best-of-three series with the better seed hosting all three games.
• The final three rounds of postseason were to be played at neutral sites.
  • Globe Life FieldandMinute Maid Parkwere chosen to host the National League playoffs; each stadium hosted one Division Series and Globe Life Field hosted the National League Championship Series. Spectators were permitted at Globe Life Field starting with the National League Championship Series.
  • Petco ParkandDodger Stadiumwere chosen to host the American League playoffs; each stadium hosted one Division Series and Petco Park hosted the American League Championship Series.
  • The World Series was held at Globe Life Field.
• Clubs were required to have an expanded dugout in order to practice social distancing.
• Celebrations (such as those after a walk-off hit) were socially distanced.
• Pitchers were allowed to use wet rags.
• In the postseason, alcohol and champagne were banned from playoff celebrations, with celebrations on the field, at least six feet apart, and not in the clubhouse.
• No physical lineup cards were exchanged. Instead, lineups are now exchanged publicly through apush notificationon the MLB app which is also pushed to fans following each team.

The following temporary rule was announced on July 30, to be effective on August 1.

• Doubleheadersconsisted of two seven-inning games, as is the case in minor leagues. One doubleheader, which was played on July 28 before the rule change, featured two nine-inning games.
  • If a suspended game resumes with the trailing team having played less than five innings, the game played after the completion of the suspended game will be seven innings.
    • However, if a game is halted after the fifth inning for a reason that enables it to be a suspended game (like a field issue or equipment failure or if the game was tied when stopped), the game played afterwards retains its nine-inning length.
  • In all cases, a suspended game retains the length (seven or nine innings) that it was scheduled for at the time it started.

Players opting out

Key

*	Opted out after playing during the 2020 season
**	Player subsequently opted back in

Players who opted out of the 2020 season

Player	Position	Team
Lorenzo Cain*	Outfielder	Milwaukee
Welington Castillo	Catcher	Washington
Yoenis Céspedes*	Outfielder	New York (NL)
Tim Collins	Relief pitcher	Colorado
Ian Desmond	Outfielder	Colorado
Isan Díaz**	Second baseman	Miami
Félix Hernández	Starting pitcher	Atlanta
Jordan Hicks	Relief pitcher	St. Louis
Michael Kopech	Starting pitcher	Chicago (AL)
Mike Leake	Starting pitcher	Arizona
Francisco Liriano	Relief pitcher	Free agent
Nick Markakis**	Outfielder	Atlanta
Shelby Miller	Starting pitcher	Milwaukee
Collin McHugh	Starting pitcher	Boston
Héctor Noesí	Relief pitcher	Pittsburgh
Buster Posey	Catcher	San Francisco
David Price	Starting pitcher	Los Angeles (NL)
Joe Ross	Starting pitcher	Washington
Tyson Ross	Starting pitcher	Free agent
Andrelton Simmons*	Shortstop	Los Angeles (AL)
Kohl Stewart	Starting pitcher	Baltimore
Marcus Stroman	Starting pitcher	New York (NL)
Mark Zagunis	Outfielder	Chicago (NL)
Ryan Zimmerman	First baseman	Washington

Managerial changes

General managers

Offseason

Team	Former GM	Reason For Leaving	New GM	Notes
Boston Red Sox	Dave Dombrowski	Fired	Brian O'Halloran	Dombrowski, whose title was President of Baseball Operations, was unexpectedly fired on September 9, 2019, less than one year after the Red Sox won the World Series. On October 25, 2019, the Red Sox hired the 36-year-oldChaim Bloomas Chief Baseball Officer, succeeding Dombrowski as head of their baseball operations, with Brian O'Halloran named general manager and reporting to Bloom.
Pittsburgh Pirates	Neal Huntington		Ben Cherington	Huntington was fired on October 28, 2019. Huntington had been the longest-tenured general manager in the National League, as he was hired in September 2007. The Pirates made the playoffs three times during Huntington's tenure after the 2013, 2014 and 2015 seasons.Ben Cherington was hired as the new general manager of the Pirates on November 18, 2019.
Houston Astros	Jeff Luhnow		James Click	On January 13, Luhnow was suspended for the 2020 season after the Houston Astros were involved an investigation over theuse of technology to steal signsduring their 2017 championship season. He was then fired by the Astros organization.James Click was named the new GM on February 3. He has spent the past 14 years in the Tampa Bay Rays front office.

Field managers

Offseason

Team	Former manager	Interim manager	Reason for leaving	New manager	Notes
San Diego Padres	Andy Green	Rod Barajas	Fired	Jayce Tingler	On September 21, 2019, Green was fired after four seasons with a record of 274–366 (.428) with no playoff appearances. Bench coachRod Barajaswas named the interim manager of the Padres for the rest of the season. Tingler was named the new manager on October 28, 2019. Tingler had spent the previous five years in theTexas Rangersorganization as a coach and a front office executive.
San Francisco Giants	Bruce Bochy	N/A	Retired	Gabe Kapler	On February 18, 2019, Bochy announced he would retire following the conclusion of the 2019 season after 13 seasons. He led the Giants to three World Series championships in four playoff appearances. Bochy finished his Giants career with a 1052–1054 (.500) record. On November 12, 2019, Gabe Kapler, who managed the Philadelphia Phillies for the past two seasons, was announced as the new manager.
Kansas City Royals	Ned Yost			Mike Matheny	On September 23, 2019, Yost announced that he would retire at the end of the 2019 season. He led the Royals to consecutive World Series appearances in 2014 and 2015, winning the championship in 2015. He had been the manager since May 2010. Yost finished his career in Kansas City with a 746–839 (.471) record. On October 31, 2019, Mike Matheny, who spent last season as the special advisor to Royals general managerDayton Moore,was named the new manager of the Kansas City Royals. Matheny managed theSt. Louis Cardinalsfrom 2012 through mid-July 2018. He had a career record of 591–474 (.555). He led the Cardinals to the postseason in his first four seasons as manager and won the National League pennant in 2013.
Chicago Cubs	Joe Maddon		Contract not renewed	David Ross	On September 29, 2019, the Cubs announced that they would not offer Maddon a contract extension following this season. He led the Cubs to four playoff appearances in five years, including the 2016 World Series championship, the Cubs' first since 1908. Maddon finished his tenure with the Cubs with a record of 471–339 (.581). Ross, who was a member of the 2016 World Series winning team under Maddon, was named as his replacement on October 24, 2019. Ross spent the last three seasons as the special assistant to baseball operations for the team as well as a baseball analyst for ESPN.
Pittsburgh Pirates	Clint Hurdle		Fired	Derek Shelton	On September 29, 2019, the Pirates announced that they dismissed Hurdle after nine seasons with a record of 735–720 (.505) with three playoff appearances. On November 27, 2019, Shelton, who spent the previous two seasons as the bench coach for theMinnesota Twins,was named the manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates.He also spent time as a hitting coach for theCleveland Indiansfrom 2005 to 2009 and a hitting coach for theTampa Bay Raysfrom 2010 to 2016 while also serving as a quality control coach for theToronto Blue Jaysin 2017.
Los Angeles Angels	Brad Ausmus			Joe Maddon	On September 30, 2019, Ausmus was fired after one season with a record of 72–90 (.444). Ausmus served as a special assistant to the Angels general managerBilly Epplerin the 2018 season. Maddon was hired by the Angels on October 16, 2019.Maddon had spent 31 years in the Angels organization (12 years as a coach) before managing theTampa Bay Raysfor nine years and theChicago Cubsfor five years.
New York Mets	Mickey Callaway			Carlos Beltrán	On October 3, 2019, Callaway was fired after two seasons with a record of 163–161 (.503) with no playoff appearances. On November 1, 2019, Carlos Beltrán, who played for the team from 2005 to the middle of the 2011 season, was named the new manager of the team. Beltrán was a special adviser to theNew York Yankeesgeneral managerBrian Cashmanlast season.
	Carlos Beltrán		Mutual Decision	Luis Rojas	On January 16, Beltran and the Mets agreed to part ways before managing a game for the Mets, in light of his reported involvement in theAstros using cameras to steal signs. The Mets hired Rojas on January 22. He had spent the last 13 years in the Mets organization.
Philadelphia Phillies	Gabe Kapler		Fired	Joe Girardi	On October 10, 2019, Kapler was fired after two seasons with a record of 161–163 (.497) with no playoff appearances. Girardi, who served as a baseball analyst for the MLB Network the last two seasons, was hired as new manager on October 24, 2019. Girardi previously managed theFlorida Marlinsfor the 2006 season and theNew York Yankeesfrom 2008 to 2017.
Houston Astros	A. J. Hinch			Dusty Baker	On January 13, Hinch was suspended by MLB for the 2020 season as part of an investigation against theAstros using hidden cameras to steal signsduring their2017 championship season;he was fired by the Astros shortly after the suspension was announced. Hinch had a regular season record of 481–329 (.594) with a total of four postseason appearances compiling a record of 28–22 (.560), two World Series appearances, and a World Series championship in2017,throughout his tenure as Astros manager. On January 29, the Astros hiredDusty Bakerto replace Hinch. He managed theSan Francisco Giantsfrom 1993 to 2002, theChicago Cubsfrom 2003 to 2006, theCincinnati Redsfrom 2008 to 2013, and theWashington Nationalsduring the 2016 and 2017 seasons. His overall managerial record is 1863–1636 (.532) in the regular season, and 23–32 (.418) in the playoffs, losing the2002 World Series.
Boston Red Sox	Alex Cora	Ron Roenicke	Mutual Decision	Ron Roenicke	On January 14, the Red Sox and Cora officially agreed to part ways with each other after two seasons. Cora had been under investigation by MLB over theHouston Astros' use of hidden cameras to steal signsduring that team's 2017 championship season (while Cora was the bench coach) as well as under investigation of allegations that the Red Sox engaged in impermissible electronic sign stealing in 2018 (while Cora was the manager). In his two seasons as Red Sox manager, he compiled a record of 192–132 (.593), winning the2018 World Series. Roenicke was promoted from bench coach to interim manager on February 11. A longtime coach, his only managerial experience was with theMilwaukee Brewersfrom 2011 to 2015, compiling a record of 342–331 (.508), with one playoff appearance and a 5–6 (.455) record in the postseason.On April 22, the "interim" tag was removed from Roenicke's title, following MLB's findings about the 2018 Red Sox, which focused on the team's video replay operator.

In-season

Team	Former manager	Interim manager	Reason for leaving	New manager	Notes
Detroit Tigers	Ron Gardenhire	Lloyd McClendon	Retired	A. J. Hinch	On September 19, Gardenhire announced his immediate retirement due to health concerns. Lloyd McClendon was named interim manager for the rest of the season. Gardenhire finished his almost three-year tenure with a 132–241 (.354) record and no playoff appearances.

League leaders

American League

Hitting leaders

Stat	Player	Total
AVG	DJ LeMahieu(NYY)	.364
HR	Luke Voit(NYY)	22
RBI	José Abreu(CWS)	60
R	Tim Anderson(CWS) José Ramírez(CLE)	45
H	José Abreu(CWS)	76
SB	Adalberto Mondesí(KC)	24

Pitching leaders

Stat	Player	Total
W	Shane Bieber(CLE)	8
L	Matthew Boyd(DET)	7
ERA	Shane Bieber(CLE)	1.63
K	Shane Bieber(CLE)	122
IP	Lance Lynn(TEX)	84.0
SV	Brad Hand(CLE)	16

National League

Hitting leaders

Stat	Player	Total
AVG	Juan Soto(WSH)	.351
HR	Marcell Ozuna(ATL)	18
RBI	Marcell Ozuna(ATL)	56
R	Freddie Freeman(ATL)	51
H	Trea Turner(WSH)	78
SB	Trevor Story(COL)	15

Pitching leaders

Stat	Player	Total
W	Yu Darvish(CHC)	8
L	Luke Weaver(AZ)	9
ERA	Trevor Bauer(CIN)	1.73
K	Jacob deGrom(NYM)	104
IP	Germán Márquez(COL)	81.2
SV	Josh Hader(MIL)	13

Milestones

Batters

• Aaron Judge(NYY):
  • Became the first player in Major League history to hit five go-ahead home runs in his team's first eight games.
• Mookie Betts(LAD):
  • With his three-homer game against theSan Diego Padreson August 13, Betts tied the Major League record for most career three-homer games at six. He joinsSammy SosaandJohnny Mizeas the only other players to accomplish this feat.
• Luis Garcia(WSH):
  • Became the first Major League player born in the 2000s to hit a home run. He accomplished this feat on August 17 against theAtlanta Braves.
• José Abreu(CWS):
  • Abreu hit home runs in four consecutive at-bats over two days to tie the Major League record. Abreu hit home runs in his last three at-bats on August 22 against theChicago Cubsand then connected on his first at-bat on August 23. Abreu's feat was the 43rd in league history.
• Ian Happ/Jason Heyward/Kyle Schwarber(CHC):
  • All three outfielders each hit two home runs on August 30 against theCincinnati Reds.This was the first time in Major League history that a starting outfield trio had multi-homers in the same game.
• Brandon Crawford/Alex Dickerson/Donovan Solano(SF):
  • Became the first trio of teammates to record at least sixRBIsin a single game since 1920 (when RBIs became a stat) on September 1 against theColorado Rockies.
• Marcell Ozuna/Adam Duvall(ATL):
  • With Ozuna's three-homer game on September 1 and Duvall's on September 2, they became the first pair of teammates to ever produce three-homer performances in consecutive games. Both games were against theBoston Red Sox.
• Yadier Molina(STL):
  • Recorded his 2,000th career hit with a single in the seventh inning against theMilwaukee Brewerson September 24. He became the 288th player to reach this mark.
• Juan Soto(WSH):
  • Became the youngest player to win the National League batting title with a.351 average.
• DJ LeMahieu(NYY):
  • Became the second player in Major League history to win a batting title in both leagues. LeMahieu won the title with theColorado Rockiesduring the 2016 season. Hall-of-FamerEd Delahantyalso accomplished this feat.
• DJ LeMahieu/Luke Voit(NYY):
  • Became the first pair of teammates to lead their league in batting average and home runs sinceHank AaronandEddie Mathewsin1959.LeMahieu recorded a batting average of.364, while Voit hit 22 home runs.
• Alex Kirilloff(MIN):
  • Made his Major League debut against theHouston Astroson September 30 during the Wild Card Series. This marks the first time a player has made his debut by starting a postseason game.
• Josh Naylor(CLE):
  • Became the first player in Major League history to record a hit in each of his first five postseason plate appearances. Naylor went 4-for-4 in Game 1 against theNew York Yankeesand doubled in his first at-bat in Game 2, but then flied out in his next at-bat to end the streak.
• Tim Anderson(CWS):
  • Became the first player in Major League history to record at least three hits in his first three postseason games against theOakland Athleticsin the American League Wild Card Series. Anderson is one of two player in history to have three hits in three consecutive postseason games asLou Brockaccomplished this in the 1968 World Series.
• Wil Myers/Fernando Tatis Jr.(SD):
  • Myers and Tatis Jr. became the second pair of teammates in Major League history to each hit two home runs in a postseason game in Game 2 of the National League Wild Card Series against theSt. Louis Cardinalson October 1. They joinBabe RuthandLou Gehrigwho did this in the1932 World Series.
• Ronald Acuña Jr.(ATL):
  • The 22-year-old became the youngest player to hit a leadoff homer in the postseason against theMiami Marlinsin Game 1 of the National League Division Series on October 6.
• Will Smith(LAD):
  • With his five-hit performance on October 8 in Game 3 against theSan Diego Padresin the National League Division Series, Smith became the youngest player in Major League postseason history to accomplish this feat. This was also the ninth time that a five-hit game was achieved in a postseason game.
• Randy Arozarena(TB):
  • Hit his seventh home run of the postseason in Game 7 against theHouston Astrosin the American League Championship Series (ALCS) which set a Major League record for most home runs in the postseason by a rookie. Arozarena also won the Most Valuable Player of the ALCS and became the first rookie position player to receive the honor.

Pitchers

No-hitters

See also:List of Major League Baseball no-hitters

• Lucas Giolito(CWS):
  • Threw his first careerno-hitter,and the 19th in franchise history, by defeating thePittsburgh Pirates4–0 on August 25. Giolito struck out 13 and walked one, throwing 74 of his 101 pitches for strikes.
• Alec Mills(CHC):
  • Threw his first career no-hitter, and the 16th in franchise history, by defeating theMilwaukee Brewers12–0 on September 13. Mills struck out five and walked three, throwing 114 pitches with 74 of them being strikes.

Other pitching accomplishments

• Shane Bieber(CLE):
  • Tied the Major League record for most strikeouts in his first two starts of a season after his performance against theMinnesota Twinson July 30. His 27 strikeouts tied the record that was set in 1954 byKarl Spoonerof theBrooklyn Dodgers.
  • Set the modern Major League record (since 1900) for starters for the fewest innings to record 100 strikeouts, doing so in 621⁄3innings. The previous record was 63, set byMax Scherzerin 2018.
• Tyler Alexander(DET):
  • Set the Major League record for relievers and tied the American League record for any pitcher by recording nine consecutive strikeouts against theCincinnati Redson August 2. He tied the American League record set by starterDoug Fisterduring the 2012 season.
• Rick Porcello(NYM):
  • Recorded his 150th career win with a victory against theWashington Nationalson August 5. He became the 263rd player to reach this mark.
• Zac Gallen(AZ):
  • Set the Major League record for most consecutive starts starting a career giving up three earned runs or less in each game at 22 with his outing on August 28 against theSan Francisco Giants.He broke the record that was set byAaron Sele.His streak came to an end at 23 games after giving up four earned runs on September 7 against theSan Francisco Giants.
• Josh Hader(MIL):
  • With his hitless appearance on September 2 against theDetroit Tigers,Hader set a Major League record with his 12th straight hitless game to start a season. This broke the record that was held byJustin Wilsonin 2017,Scott Aldredin 1999 andJohn Francoin 1987.Hader's streak ended the next game whenOscar Mercadodoubled to lead off the inning on September 5.
• Clayton Kershaw(LAD):
  • Recorded his 2,500th career strikeout on September 3 against theArizona Diamondbackswhen he struck outNick Ahmedin the third inning. He became the 39th player, and third-youngest, to reach this mark.

Miscellaneous

• Toronto Blue Jays:
  • Became the first team in Major League history to lose a game in which they recorded at least 18 hits and seven home runs on August 12 against theMiami Marlins.
• Chicago White Sox:
  • Hit four consecutive home runs against theSt. Louis Cardinalson August 16, tying the Major League record. This was the second time in White Sox history and tenth in Major League history. The group ofYoan Moncada,Yasmani Grandal,José AbreuandEloy Jiménezaccomplished this feat, with all four home runs hit offRoel Ramírezin his debut. The White Sox also had four consecutive home runs on August 14, 2008, against the Kansas City Royals.
  • Became the first team in Major League history to hit back-to-back home runs to lead off the game twice off the same pitcher in the same season. On August 12,Tim AndersonandEloy Jiménezhit the leadoff back-to-back home runs againstMatthew Boydof theDetroit Tigers.Then on August 17, Anderson andYoan Moncadahit the leadoff home runs.
  • Became the first team in Major League history to go undefeated against left-handed pitchers with a record of 14–0.
• San Diego Padres:
  • Became the first team in Major League history to hit at least one grand slam in each of four consecutive games from August 17 to 20. All such grand slams were made against theTexas Rangers.
• Joe Girardi(PHI):
  • Recorded his 1,000th win as a manager when the Phillies defeated theWashington Nationalson August 26. Girardi became the 65th manager to reach this mark. He did so in 1,808 games.
• Los Angeles Dodgers:
  • Set the National League record for most home runs in a month by hitting their 57th during August against theTexas Rangerson August 30.
  • Set the Major League record for most runs in a single inning in a postseason game by scoring 11 runs in the first inning of Game 3 of the 2020 National League Championship Series against theAtlanta Braveson October 14.
• Atlanta Braves:
  • Set a National League record for runs scored in a game in the modern era (since 1900) with a 29–9 win over theMiami Marlinson September 9. The Braves broke the record of 28 that was set in 1929 by theSt. Louis Cardinals.Among these runs, 18 were home runs, tying the Major League record.
  • Set the Major League record for consecutive scoreless innings to begin a postseason series at 22 innings with their 13-inning Game 1 shutout and Game 2 series-clinching shutout.
• New York Yankees:
  • Became the first team in Major League history with six or more home runs in three consecutive games from September 15 to 17 against theToronto Blue Jays.Their 19 home runs in that same span is also a record.
• Dusty Baker(HOU):
  • With the Astros making it to the postseason, Baker became the first manager in Major League history to lead five different teams to the playoffs.
• Cincinnati Reds/Atlanta Braves:
  • The Reds–Braves Game 1 scoreless duel through 12 innings set a Major League record for the longest postseason game without either team scoring a run. It broke the record of ten innings that was achieved on four separate occasions.
• New York Yankees/Cleveland Indians:
  • Game 2 of their American League Wild Card Series on September 30, which the Yankees won 10–9, lasted four hours and 50 minutes (not counting the two rain delays), making it the longest nine-inning game in Major League history.
• Tampa Bay Rays:
  • Set a Major League postseason record of strikeouts in a nine-inning game by fanning 18New York Yankeesin Game 2 of their American League Division Series on October 6.
• Houston Astros/Oakland Athletics:
  • Set the Major League record for most postseason home runs in a series of five games or fewer by hitting 24 in their American League Division Series.Each team hit 12 home runs, also a division series record.
• Houston Astros:
  • Became the first team in postseason history to hit a leadoff home run and walk-off home run in the same game, with the former hit byGeorge Springerand the latter byCarlos Correa.They beat theTampa Bay Raysin Game 5 of the American League Championship Series.
  • Became the second team in Major League History to force a Game 7 after losing the first three games. Houston lost the first three games of the ALCS to theTampa Bay Rays,before forcing Game 7. The2004 Boston Red Soxaccomplished this in the ALCS against theNew York Yankeesand won Game 7.However, the Astros were not able to duplicate the Red Sox.

Awards and honors

Regular season

Baseball Writers' Association of AmericaAwards
BBWAA Award	National League	American League
Rookie of the Year	Devin Williams(MIL)	Kyle Lewis(SEA)
Cy Young Award	Trevor Bauer(CIN)	Shane Bieber(CLE)
Manager of the Year	Don Mattingly(MIA)	Kevin Cash(TB)
Most Valuable Player	Freddie Freeman(ATL)	José Abreu(CWS)
Gold Glove Awards
Position	National League	American League
Pitcher	Max Fried(ATL)	Griffin Canning(LAA)
Catcher	Tucker Barnhart(CIN)	Roberto Pérez(CLE)
1st Base	Anthony Rizzo(CHC)	Evan White(SEA)
2nd Base	Kolten Wong(STL)	César Hernández(CLE)
3rd Base	Nolan Arenado(COL)	Isiah Kiner-Falefa(TEX)
Shortstop	Javier Báez(CHC)	J. P. Crawford(SEA)
Left field	Tyler O'Neill(STL)	Alex Gordon(KC)
Center field	Trent Grisham(SD)	Luis Robert(CWS)
Right field	Mookie Betts(LAD)	Joey Gallo(TEX)
Silver Slugger Awards
Designated Hitter	Marcell Ozuna(ATL)	Nelson Cruz(MIN)
Catcher	Travis d'Arnaud(ATL)	Salvador Pérez(KC)
1st Base	Freddie Freeman(ATL)	Jose Abreu(CWS)
2nd Base	Donovan Solano(SF)	DJ LeMahieu(NYY)
3rd Base	Manny Machado(SD)	José Ramírez(CLE)
Shortstop	Fernando Tatís Jr.(SD)	Tim Anderson(CWS)
Outfield	Ronald Acuña Jr.(ATL) Mookie Betts(LAD) Juan Soto(WSH)	Teoscar Hernández(TOR) Eloy Jiménez(CWS) Mike Trout(LAA)

All-MLB Team

Players are selected through fan votes (50%) and votes from a panel of experts (50%). The winners are selected based on merit, with no set number of nominees per position and no distinction between leagues.

All-MLB Team
Position	First Team	Second Team
Starting pitcher	Trevor Bauer(CIN)	Gerrit Cole(NYY)
	Shane Bieber(CLE)	Clayton Kershaw(LAD)
	Yu Darvish(CHC)	Dinelson Lamet(SD)
	Jacob deGrom(NYM)	Kenta Maeda(MIN)
	Max Fried(ATL)	Hyun-jin Ryu(TOR)
Relief pitcher	Nick Anderson(TB)	Brad Hand(CLE)
	Liam Hendriks(OAK)	Devin Williams(MIL)
Designated hitter	Marcell Ozuna(ATL)	Nelson Cruz(MIN)
Catcher	Salvador Pérez(KC)	J. T. Realmuto(PHI)
1st Base	Freddie Freeman(ATL)	José Abreu(CWS)
2nd Base	DJ LeMahieu(NYY)	Brandon Lowe(TB)
3rd Base	Manny Machado(SD)	José Ramírez(CLE)
Shortstop	Fernando Tatís Jr.(SD)	Corey Seager(LAD)
Outfield	Mookie Betts(LAD)	Ronald Acuña Jr.(ATL)
	Juan Soto(WSH)	Michael Conforto(NYM)
	Mike Trout(LAA)	Mike Yastrzemski(SF)

Other awards

• The Sporting News Playerof the Year Award:José Abreu(CWS)
• Comeback Players of the Year:Salvador Pérez(KC,American);Daniel Bard(COL,National)
• Edgar Martínez Award(Best designated hitter):Marcell Ozuna(ATL)
• Hank Aaron Award:José Abreu(CWS,American);Freddie Freeman(ATL,National)
• Roberto Clemente Award(Humanitarian):Adam Wainwright(STL)
• Mariano Rivera AL Reliever of the Year Award(Best AL reliever):Liam Hendriks(OAK)
• Trevor Hoffman NL Reliever of the Year Award(Best NL reliever):Devin Williams(MIL)
• Warren Spahn Award(Best left-handed pitcher):Hyun-jin Ryu(TOR)

Fielding Bible Awards
Position	Player
Pitcher	Max Fried
Catcher	Roberto Pérez
1st Base	Matt Olson
2nd Base	Kolten Wong
3rd Base	Nolan Arenado
Shortstop	Javier Báez
Left Field	Tyler O'Neill
Center Field	Kevin Kiermaier
Right Field	Mookie Betts
Multi-position	Kiké Hernández

Monthly awards

Player of the Month

Main article:Major League Baseball Player of the Month Award

Month	American League	National League
July/August	José Abreu	Fernando Tatis Jr.
September	José Ramírez	Freddie Freeman

Pitcher of the Month

Main article:Major League Baseball Pitcher of the Month Award

Month	American League	National League
July/August	Shane Bieber	Yu Darvish
September	Chris Bassitt	Trevor Bauer

Rookie of the Month

Main article:Major League Baseball Rookie of the Month Award

Month	American League	National League
July/August	Luis Robert	Jake Cronenworth
September	Jared Walsh	Ke'Bryan Hayes

Reliever of the Month

Main article:Major League Baseball Reliever of the Month Award

Month	American League	National League
July/August	Liam Hendriks	Kenley Jansen
September	Mike Mayers	Devin Williams

Payroll

Team name	Wins	%±	Est. payroll	%±
New York Yankees	33	-68.0%	$218,635,714	-4.3%
Houston Astros	29	-72.9%	$217,000,000	30.7%
Los Angeles Dodgers	43	-59.4%	$216,508,333	11.9%
Chicago Cubs	34	-59.5%	$181,560,000	-17.6%
Los Angeles Angels	26	-63.9%	$181,254,762	14.7%
Washington Nationals	26	-72.0%	$172,237,283	-15.2%
Boston Red Sox	24	-71.4%	$171,984,429	-21.5%
Philadelphia Phillies	28	-65.4%	$170,148,461	20.0%
New York Mets	26	-69.8%	$162,078,667	4.7%
St. Louis Cardinals	30	-67.0%	$153,396,167	-4.8%
San Francisco Giants	29	-62.3%	$152,957,778	-12.8%
Colorado Rockies	26	-63.4%	$144,730,000	-0.4%
San Diego Padres	37	-47.1%	$141,953,667	57.3%
Minnesota Twins	36	-64.4%	$134,838,333	18.5%
Atlanta Braves	35	-63.9%	$130,705,000	-1.9%
Texas Rangers	22	-71.8%	$122,326,667	17.1%
Cincinnati Reds	31	-58.7%	$120,781,165	10.1%
Chicago White Sox	35	-51.4%	$119,066,333	47.3%
Milwaukee Brewers	29	-67.4%	$103,541,667	-19.6%
Cleveland Indians	35	-62.4%	$101,991,668	-32.6%
Seattle Mariners	27	-60.3%	$92,310,000	-27.2%
Detroit Tigers	23	-51.1%	$88,385,000	-12.2%
Arizona Diamondbacks	25	-70.6%	$88,176,667	-28.9%
Oakland Athletics	36	-62.9%	$85,683,333	-16.8%
Toronto Blue Jays	32	-52.2%	$76,078,572	22.4%
Kansas City Royals	26	-55.9%	$68,600,000	-30.1%
Miami Marlins	31	-45.6%	$68,450,000	-8.3%
Tampa Bay Rays	40	-58.3%	$56,351,667	-1.3%
Baltimore Orioles	25	-53.7%	$52,190,000	-36.9%
Pittsburgh Pirates	19	-72.5%	$49,628,500	-31.9%

Uniforms

On January 25, 2019, MLB announced thatNikewould become the new exclusive uniform supplier for all MLB teams, under a 10-year deal beginning in 2020.Fanaticswould oversee production of on-field and retail MLB uniforms licensed by Nike.Under Armourbacked out of its existing supply agreement as a cost-cutting measure.

Anniversaries and special events

Team	Special occasion
All Teams	#42 patch forJackie Robinson Day(scheduled for April 15; tribute converted to virtual experience on MLB.com/MLB Network;held August 28)
	100th anniversary of the Negro leagues (August 16)
	Gold Ribbons forchildhood cancer(August 28)
	Patches forBlack Lives Matter(Opening Day)
Chicago White Sox	"Farmio" patch in memory of radio broadcaster and former pitcherEd Farmer
Detroit	#6 patch in memory ofAl Kaline
Kansas City	"DG" patch in memory of former ownerDavid Glass
Milwaukee	50th Anniversary in Milwaukee
Minnesota	60th season in the Twin Cities
	"RC" patch in memory of Minor League playerRyan Costello(July 24)
New York Mets	#41 patch in memory ofTom Seaver
New York Yankees	"HGS" patch in memory ofHank Steinbrenner
	#16 patch in memory ofWhitey Ford(October 9)
St. Louis	#20 patch in memory ofLou Brock
San Francisco	"20 at 24" 20th anniversary ofOracle Park(24 refers to the address of the park, 24 Willie Mays Plaza)
Texas	First season atGlobe Life Field
Toronto	#1 patch in memory ofTony Fernández
Washington	2019 World Serieschampionship (July 23, initially scheduled for April 2)

Wholesale changes

Arizonatweaked their uniforms, including removing the darker away uniforms and the diamond pattern on the uniforms.

Cincinnatiadded a new alternate jersey and a new spring training jersey.

Milwaukeeintroduced new uniforms, including a return to theball-in-glove logoused as their primary logo from 1978 to 1993. They also switched out their gold color to yellow.

Minnesotaadded a new alternate uniform, utilizing itspowder blue1973–1986 road uniform design.

Pittsburghbrought back the script "Pittsburgh" from the 1990s on new alternate and road uniforms, along with a gold outlined "P" on their caps.

Texasintroduced a new powder blue jersey along with a powder blue hat. It also changed the "Texas" wordmark to "Rangers" wordmark on the white jersey and revealed a new red hat with the state of Texas on it with "TX."

Torontoadded a new alternate based on its 1979–1988 powder blue road jerseys.

Washingtonadded two new alternate hats and one alternate white jersey.

San Diegochanged its primary colors from navy blue to brown and gold, the team's primary colors from 1969 to 1984.

St. Louismade changes to its logo as it appears on the caps.

Throwbacks

The Cardinals and Royals woreNegro leaguesthrowbacks September 22. The Cardinals wore 1930St. Louis Starsuniforms, and the Royals wore 1945Kansas City Monarchsuniforms.

Venues

This is theTexas Rangers' first season atGlobe Life Field,replacingGlobe Life Park in Arlingtonwhere they played from 1994 to 2019. Their first game was July 24 against theColorado Rockies.

TheMiami MarlinsconvertedMarlins Parkfrom a natural grass surface to Shaw Sports B1Kartificial turfand the field's fences will be moved in closer.

TheAtlanta Braves' SunTrust Park was renamedTruist ParkafterSunTrust Banksmerged with BB&T Bank to makeTruist Financial.

Temporary relocation of the Toronto Blue Jays

On July 18, the Canadian federal government denied theToronto Blue Jaysexceptions to theQuarantine Actto play regular season home games atRogers Centrethis season. Although they were allowed to conduct training camp with stricter protocols than those mandated by MLB,Minister of Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipMarco Mendicinocited that repeated cross-border travel by players would carry a major risk due to the higher number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S.Mendicino did not rule out the permission being granted for postseason games, depending on the status of the pandemic in the U.S. by then, however the Blue Jays would not have any home postseason games.

On July 20, the Pittsburgh Pirates offered the use ofPNC Parkas a site for Blue Jays home games.However, health officials in Pennsylvania denied permission for this arrangement, citing concerns over additional travel to and from Pittsburgh amid an increase in local cases.

On July 24, the Blue Jays announced that they would play the majority of their home games atSahlen FieldinBuffalo, New York,home of the Jays' AAA affiliate, theBuffalo Bisons.The Jays' first game in Buffalo was August 11 against the Miami Marlins. The Jays' first two home series against the Washington Nationals and Philadelphia Phillies were relocated to the visiting teams' venues,Nationals ParkandCitizens Bank Park,respectively, with the Jays as designated home team.However, the Phillies series was postponed and made up in Buffalo.

Broadcast rights

Television

National

This is the seventh year of the current eight-year deals withFox,ESPN,andTBS.Fox was to televise theMLB at Field of Dreamsgame on August 13.FS1televised games on Tuesday nights and on Saturdays both during the afternoon and night. ESPN televised games on its flagship telecastSunday Night Baseballas well as Monday and Wednesday nights. Fox andESPN Sunday Night Baseballtelecasts were exclusive; all other national telecasts were subject to localblackout.

TBS televised one AL Wild Card Series, bothAmerican League Division Seriesmatchups and theAmerican League Championship Series.ESPN televised seven of the eight Wild Card Series with live look-ins and alternate broadcasts onESPN+.On September 28, it was announced thatABCwould broadcast at least four of ESPN's Wild Card Series games, marking the first time a national MLB game had aired on the network since1995(via the ill-fatedThe Baseball Networkarrangement).FS1 andMLB Networkwill televise bothNational League Division Seriesmatchups. Fox and FS1 televised theNational League Championship Series,and theWorld Serieswas on Fox for the 21st straight year.

Local

• In Chicago, new television deals resulted in the end of free-to-air regional telecasts for the city's two franchises. In February, the Cubs launched the team-ownedMarquee Sports Network,a joint venture withSinclair Broadcast Group.The White Sox signed exclusively withNBC Sports Chicagounder a multi-year deal.
• In November 2019, MLB owners voted unanimously to revert "certain in-market digital [streaming] rights" to the teams themselves.
• On April 1, the Los Angeles Dodgers'Spectrum SportsNet LAreached acarriage dealwithAT&T(coveringAT&T TV,U-verse,andDirecTV), concluding a seven-year impasse that had hindered the network's local availability.
• Long-time Cincinnati Reds television play-by-play announcerThom Brennamanresigned on September 26 after he was caught using ahomophobic slurin a game on August 19 against the Kansas City Royals.Sideline hostJim Daytook over Brennaman's duties for the rest of the season, beginning August 20.

Radio

National

• ESPN Radiowill air its 23rd season of national coverage, includingSunday Night Baseball,Saturday Games,Opening Day,Labor Day games, and the entireMajor League Baseball postseason.

Local

• TheOakland Athleticswere briefly the first MLB team to abandon terrestrial radio in their primary market in favor ofinternet radio;the team initially carried games onTuneInvia the "A's Cast" channel, with plans for some games to be aired without commercial interruptions. The decision was prompted by competition with other local sports teams for time on stations, resulting in frequent pre-emptions and lowered priorities, and conflicts with regular station programming. The broadcasts were still carried on some terrestrial radio stations outside the Bay Area (with the closest beingSacramento'sKHTK).However, on July 30, 2020, it was reported that the team had backed out of the arrangement and signed withiHeartMediato make960 KNEWthe team's flagship station (with its streaming platform shifting toiHeartRadio), beginning July 31. Team presidentDave Kavalcited people having become "budget-conscious" due to the pandemic as having influenced the decision.
• Entercom'sKMNB/Minneapoliswill joinWCCOas the FM flagship for theMinnesota Twinsin an extension of rights until the 2023 season.
• Chicago White Soxradio play-by-play announcerEd Farmer,a former pitcher for the team who had been part of the team's radio broadcast staff since 1991, died on April 1 after a long-term battle withpolycystic kidney disease.On June 30, the team and itsradio networknamedAndy Masur(the former pre-game host) as Farmer's successor.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on production

Cutout images ofWashington Nationalsfans placed inNationals Parkseats in August 2020

In order to reduce avoidable travel and the amount of personnel on-site for each game, most MLB broadcasters commentated away games remotely from either their broadcaster's studio, or their home stadium's broadcast booths. MLB safety protocols mandated remote broadcasts for away games on television, but radio broadcasters were allowed to be present on-site for away games if they so chose.Some teams had their commentators on-site for home games only, and called away games from their studio.

Furthermore, the home team's local television rightsholder served as the host broadcaster for each game, providing a neutral video feed to media partners (including the away team's local rightsholder, and in some cases, a national broadcaster), which added commentary, graphics, and other surrounding coverage for their audience.MLB Networkassisted with providing and using existing infrastructure for this arrangement.Audio fromSony Interactive Entertainment'sMLB: The Showvideo game franchise was used asartificial crowd noisefor all games, and was played over the stadiums' audio systems on-site.

Fox announced plans to useaugmented reality"virtual fans" in its games,while ESPN leveraged experience from its remote broadcasts ofKBO Leaguegames over the suspended pre-season.

The pandemic also led to changes in broadcast arrangements for several teams:

• Due to health risks, the Baltimore Orioles announced thatGary ThorneandJim Palmercould not call its games forMASNthis season.Local sports radio personality Scott Garceau replaced Thorne on play-by-play; in 2021, the team would not renew the contracts of Thorne, Palmer, or analystsMike BordickandRick Dempsey,with Garceau remaining part of the revamped team.
• Sportsnet'sToronto Blue Jayscolor commentatorPat Tabler(who is a U.S. citizen) took on a reduced analyst role this season, leaving the team's alternate commentary team ofDan Shulman(play-by-play) andBuck Martinez(color; he normally performs play-by-play on games where Shulman is not present) for all regular-season games.Due to his commitments to ESPN Radio coverage, Shulman was replaced byJoe Siddallfor Toronto's Wild Card Series games.
• Prior to the pandemic, theSan Francisco GiantsandNBC Sports Bay Areahad already planned to have color commentatorMike Krukowbroadcast 22 NL West road games remotely from the network's studios (with his play-by-play partnerDuane Kuipercommentating on-site as normal) to accommodate hisinclusion body myositis,which had made him unfit to travel. The need for this arrangement was ultimately rendered moot, with Krukow and Kuiper calling all Giants' games together from booths at Oracle Park.
• On July 31, Texas Rangers radio voiceMatt Hickstested positive for COVID-19. His partnerEric Nadelsubsequently opted out from broadcasting that weekend's games.After television voiceC. J. Nitkowskitested positive in mid-September,Fox Sports Southwestswitched to using a simulcast of the radio broadcast.

Retirements

The following players retired during the 2020 season and before the start of2021 campaign:

• Alex Wilson– July 28
• José Reyes– July 29
• Chris Iannetta– August 8
• Ubaldo Jiménez– September 17
• Alex Gordon– September 24 retired at the end of the season
• Hunter Pence– September 26
• Francisco Cervelli– October 3
• Hisashi Iwakuma– October 20. Retired at the end of the2020 Nippon Professional Baseball season
• Kyuji Fujikawa– November 10
• Yonder Alonso– November 20
• Howie Kendrick– December 21
• Phil Hughes– January 3, 2021
• Branden Kline– January 13, 2021
• Danny Hultzen– January 14, 2021
• Daniel Murphy– January 29, 2021
• Dustin Pedroia– February 1, 2021
• Josh Phegley– February 3, 2021
• Jared Hughes– February 14, 2021
• Nate Orf– February 16, 2021
• Cody Allen– February 17, 2021
• Tim Tebow– February 17, 2021
• Brian Dozier– February 18, 2021
• Kelvin Herrera– February 26, 2021
• Tim Dillard– March 10, 2021
• Nick Markakis– March 12, 2021
• Dan Otero– March 22
• Gio Gonzalez– March 25, 2021

Retired numbers

• Dick Allenhad his #15 retired on September 3 by thePhiladelphia Phillies.He is the seventh player to have his number retired by the franchise.

Due to the delayed start of the season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the following retirement ceremonies were postponed and rescheduled to either 2021 or 2022.

Player	No.	Team	Original Date	New Date	Ref
Larry Walker	33	Colorado Rockies	April 19	September 25, 2021
Dave Stewart	34	Oakland Athletics	May 23	September 11, 2022
Roy Halladay	34	Philadelphia Phillies	May 29	August 8, 2021
Jerry Koosman	36	New York Mets	June 13	August 28, 2021
Will Clark	22	San Francisco Giants	July 11	July 30, 2022
Lou Whitaker	1	Detroit Tigers	August 29	August 6, 2022

Major League Baseball teams revenue losses for 2020

For 2020Team Marketing Reportcalculated $5 billion in game day losses for Major League Baseball as a result of not having fans in attendance.

See also

• 2020 in baseball
• 2020 KBO League season
• 2020 Nippon Professional Baseball season
• 2020 Chinese Professional Baseball League season
• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on baseball