MLB Playoff Bubble Cities, Dates Being Finalized

Major League Baseball is expected to follow in the footsteps of the NBA and NHL with a playoff bubble of their own, the details of which could be finalized next week.

Under the proposal, baseball’s postseason would be played in Texas and California, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports. The American League playoffs will take place at San Diego’s Petco Park and Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium. The National League playoffs are likely to be held at Houston’s Minute Maid Park and Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

Globe Life Field is being targeted as the site of the World Series, Passan reports.

Eight teams from each league make the playoffs under the league’s new format for the 2020 season. A best-of-three first-round precedes the division series and the league championship series.

The truncated 60-game schedule is almost coming to an end with the final day of the regular season set for Sept. 27. The first round will end no later than Oct. 2 under MLB’s postseason plan. The World Series would start on Oct. 20 and conclude no later than Oct. 28, according to Passan.

The plan would likely ensure that no team plays in its home city during the playoffs. The Texas Rangers have the AL’s worst record in their first year playing home games at Globe Life Field. The Los Angeles Angels are 10 games under .500 and almost certain to miss the postseason.

The entirety of the 2020 season is expected to be played without fans in attendance.

The plan is pending the approval of the MLB Players Association. The league is reportedly asking teams to quarantine in hotels for the final week of the season, which would mean the two teams that meet in the World Series would essentially be living in a bubble for five weeks.