NEW YORK – Completing the 2020 season required MLB to rewrite its rule book. Stadiums were emptied, schedules rewritten.
Some players opted out. The ones that didn't spat into COVID-19 testing cups until their mouths went dry. “When it was all said and done, you kind of look back and go, ‘God, that was the longest 60 games I’ve ever been a part of,” veteran pitcher Jon Lester said last month.
Well, to borrow from another Chicago Cubs favorite: Let’s play 162! Against the backdrop of a still dangerous coronavirus pandemic, pitchers and catchers are reporting to spring training this week, the first step in a 2021 season that will take many of the complexities from 2020's 60-game sprint and stretch them over an additional four months.