With the calendar for 2021, here are the ten most important stories in Major League Baseball from 2020:
10. Marlins hire Ng
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The Marlins’ hiring of Kim Ng as general manager in November made sports history. Ng shattered two glass ceilings at the same time, becoming both the first GM woman of a large North American professional sports franchise and the first GM of East Asian descent from MLB.
The setting wasn’t shocking from a baseball standpoint; Ng’s résumé speaks for itself. She has worked full-time in baseball since 1991, including serving as GM assistant for the Yankees and Dodgers and serving as senior vice president of operations for MLB for nearly a decade. She was overly qualified for this position long before the Marlins hired her. While it took way too long, baseball is better off because of NG’s monumental attitude.
9. Jays, Marlins and Cardinals play in the playoffs despite COVID-19 disruptions
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All 30 teams were affected by the pandemic, but three clubs faced additional challenges. A COVID-19 outbreak closed the Marlins for more than a week while 18 players tested positive and much of the roster was turned over. The Cardinals stopped playing for nearly three weeks and only played 58 out of 60 scheduled games. And although the Blue Jays didn’t have an outbreak, they were denied permission to play in Toronto due to Canadian quarantine laws. The Jays landed at Buffalo’s Sahlen Field, although they didn’t arrive until mid-August.
Despite everything, all three teams rallied to advance to the playoffs, and the Marlins even won their wildcard series. It was fitting, in such a bad year, that these clubs have overcome the chances of making 2020 a success.
8. Indians announce plans to change name
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A story that had followed Cleveland’s baseball team for decades finally ended in December when the Indians announced plans to change their name. This ended a slow departure from the controversial nickname that began two years ago when Cleveland retired longtime mascot boss Wahoo. Pressure to withdraw the nickname “Indians” – the team’s name since 1915 – reached a new level in the summer after the Washington Football Team decided to abandon its longstanding nickname. The players supported a name change in July by wearing street uniforms that read “Cleveland” during a preseason home game.
Cleveland chose not to go the Washington Route and will instead play one final season as an Indian in 2021 before being renamed.
7. Rise of the Padres
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The Padres announced their arrival this season on a grand scale as competitors. Led by young superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. and MVP finalist Manny Machado, “Slam Diego” made a great impression during the regular season, playing with a boast that led some teams to call them “unwritten” for violating something called “unwritten Rules “to pelt. They even showed a huge commitment to profit, adding Mike Clevinger in two blockbuster deals as of the deadline.
That continued into the off-season when the Padres reportedly swung two more blockbusters for Blake Snell and Yu Darvish, and apparently also signed Korean star Ha-seong Kim. It seems 2020 was just the beginning for this hugely talented team.
6. The players against Manfred
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While MLB has seen industrial peace for nearly two decades, problems are brewing beneath the surface. Several events, including the ending of the COVID-19 pandemic, turned everything upside down in 2020.
Commissioner Rob Manfred’s response to the Astros scandal has been scrutinized, particularly after he labeled the World Series trophy a “piece of metal” which resulted in an apology. But that was just the beginning. After the pandemic halted spring training, the league and players entered lengthy and tough negotiations over the 2020 season. Manfred upset the players after suggesting prorated salaries and a shortened season of 60 games. For a time in June, it seemed like there would be no baseball at all, which only further angered many already angry players.
Of course, after monumental efforts on both sides, they reached an agreement. Unfortunately, the conflict could have been a sign of the future, as MLB’s collective agreement expires this coming December and tensions only build in a slow off-season. The bloody battle may have only just begun.
5. Red Sox trade Betts for Dodgers
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Mookie Betts looked like he’d inherited the torch from Big Papi as the face of Red Sox baseball after helping them win a championship in 2018, but that wasn’t to be. The Betts era at Fenway Park came to an end in February when the Red Sox swapped the former MVP along with David Price for a package with former top prospect Alex Verdugo to the Dodgers.
While the Red Sox achieved their desired goal of getting their payroll below the luxury tax threshold, Betts were quick to make them look silly for trading one of the sport’s best players. He signed a 12-year extension with LA for $ 365 million and led the Dodgers to a World Series title while finishing runners-up on the NL MVP. Boston, meanwhile, limped to its worst profit share in 55 years. But it saved the Red Sox some money – and that sums up baseball in many ways in 2020.
4. Arozarena triggers Ray’s run that ends in controversy
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Expectations for the Rays were high in 2020 after two seasons ended with 90 victories disappointed. They did not disappoint this year, winning their first league title in a decade and setting the AL’s best record, despite being on a tight payroll in typical Rays fashion and suffering many injuries. Randy Arozarena stole the show in the playoffs. The Cuban broke out with 10 post-season home runs to push Tampa Bay past rivals Yankees and pesky Astros into the World Series.
Unfortunately, the Rays’ luck ran out against the Dodgers, and not without controversy. Manager Kevin Cash interrupted Blake Snell’s gem in Game 6 by drawing the ace after just 73 pitches to see Los Angeles immediately win the series. It also turned out to be Snell’s last game at Tampa Bay as he was reportedly sold to the Padres this week.
2020 can be remembered for both the Rays’ deconstruction and their playoff run and the rise of Arozarena. In both cases, Tampa Bay has been the focus of the sport year-round for both the right and the wrong reasons.
3. Dodgers are finally winning everything
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Heading into 2020, Dodgers fans again wondered if this immensely great team could overcome the October demons that had recently haunted the franchise. This time they left nothing to be doubted.
After taking over Dodts to form a dynamic duo with MVP Cody Bellinger, the Dodgers led the table in 2020. They set the league’s best record, bleeding the first two rounds and clearing a 3-1 NLCS deficit before defeating the Rays in six games to win the World Series. Even Clayton Kershaw, the Dodger icon who had a reputation for failing to make it in October, did his part with solid playoff starts.
Unfortunately, Justin Turner’s belated removal from Game 6 due to a positive COVID-19 test affected the LA celebration at Globe Life Field. Shortly afterwards, Turner and his wife were seen parting in the field without a mask.
2. Astros’ sign theft scandal
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This was the worst baseball scandal since the 1919 Black Sox, which shook the sport in unforeseen ways.
It all started last November when former Astros thrower Mike Fiers whistled the 2017 World Champions cheating. Manfred’s investigation, which concluded in January, found that Houston used cameras and trash cans to steal signs from opponents and relay pitches to thugs. Managers AJ Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow were both sacked within hours of Manfred’s published report, while Red Sox skipper – and former Astros bank coach – Alex Cora was sacked for his role in the scandal.
The Mets also fired Carlos Beltran – a respected 2017 Astros veteran – before he made a game due to his involvement. Houston was also fined and lost draft picks. However, no players were disciplined, but received immunity in return for their testimony.
The scandal became even more surreal during spring training when Astros stars Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa apologized briefly. Conspiracy theories ran wild: Altuve was accused of wearing a buzzer under his uniform. His defense against him told his teammates not to rip his jersey after his 2019 pennant homer revolved around a bad, unfinished tattoo – leading to a Zapruder-like film analysis – and his wife didn’t want that he was seen shirtless. One fan even launched a website devoted to exposing Houston’s scam, and former MLB pitcher Mike Bolsinger sued the team, stating that sign theft had ended his career in the big leagues.
Nobody involved in this scandal was left unscathed. The reputation of many Astros players was shattered when they rose to the ALCS in 2020. Manfred’s investigation met with criticism in many places, with several players suggesting that they would take action themselves at the start of the games. In August, the A’s – the current Fiers team – had an argument with the Astros. And it still doesn’t feel like we’ve heard the end of this story. The effects of this scandal are likely to haunt baseball for decades to come.
1. COVID-19 disrupts everything, shortens the season
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The COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a standstill in 2020, and baseball was no exception. On March 12, less than 24 hours after the NBA suspended their season, MLB canceled the remainder of spring training. Weeks later, the opening day was postponed indefinitely. It wasn’t until the end of July that baseball finally started, albeit in the midst of tough new realities.
Several players have opted out of the 60-game campaign, competitions have been played in empty stadiums, the fixtures have been hastily rearranged, and the newly expanded playoffs have largely been played in neutral locations. The new rules included double headers with seven innings, an automatic runner on the second base in additional innings, and the designated batsman who eventually makes it to the National League.
Sometimes it didn’t feel quite like baseball. Sometimes it was a rocky journey for everyone involved. But for everything that went wrong this year, they managed to play baseball and that should be seen as a victory for the sport.