The postseason bubble for MLB has been a rumor for a while, and is very likely coming, per the latest report.
Ken Rosenthal says it’s not finalized, but these are more details than we’ve seen before:
Three stadiums available in southern California, Arlington and Houston in Texas. Again: Nothing close to final. Other regions not out of question. But this is a plan being discussed. https://t.co/fp6S24S5Op
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 26, 2020
Ultimately, given what we’ve seen with the Cardinals and Marlins – and the time the Reds and Mets had to shut down for even a single positive – a neutral-site bubble is probably the only way to go. You can absorb shut-downs during the regular season. I don’t really know how you would deal with it in the postseason.
For the teams that WOULD have gotten home-field advantage, however, this approach will be a bummer. Those teams, at least in the first round, were going to get all three games at home. Losing that makes it a lot less compelling to try to improve your “seed.”
There is still some value in being the home team at a neutral site, particularly in a late and tied game, but it’s far from what it would be in a normal, “home-field” situation. You won’t be staying at your house. You won’t be in your same familiar facilities. You won’t be in a ballpark where you instinctively know all the intricacies. You won’t be in a ballpark where your eyes just naturally ignore all the surroundings because you’ve lived in them so much. On and on. That little stuff adds up.
Anyway. It sure is going to be weird watching the Cubs celebrate the World Series at the new Rangers flea market ballpark: