The 2020 World Series will take place at a neutral venue for the first time in modern baseball history, it was revealed on Tuesday as Major League Baseball confirmed its postseason schedule.
The league said in a statement that teams would be based at neutral venues following the initial best-of-three wild card series rounds, which get underway once the abbreviated 60-game season concludes this month.
The American and National League wild card rounds, which open on September 29 and 30, will take place at the home ballparks of each league’s top four seed. Thereafter, games will shift to designated neutral sites.
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MLB said the switch to neutral venues this year had been taken for “health, safety and competitive considerations.”,American League Division Series games will take place in Los Angeles and San Diego at Dodger Stadium and Petco Park respectively.
National League Division Series games will be held at Arlington’s Globe Life Field, home of the Texas Rangers, and Houston’s Minute Maid Park. The American League Championship Series will be held at Petco Park in San Diego, while Arlington would host the National League Championship Series.
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The winners of both series then advance to the best-of-seven World Series, taking place at Arlington from October 20, with a potential game seven set for October 28.
Major League Baseball’s 2020 season was shortened to 60 games this year after the coronavirus pandemic delayed the scheduled start of the season in March by four months.