MLB announces revised 2020 Marlins regular season schedule

Major League Baseball did not leave itself with much wiggle room. The league and MLB Players’ Association spent much of the spring in half-hearted negotiations over the length, financials and logistics of the 2020 regular season. They were unable to find common ground, forcing commissioner Rob Manfred to unilaterally implement a 60-game schedule, with most clubs—the Marlins included—opening their campaign on July 24 and closing on September 27. That’s 60 games in 66 days.

Despite enduring a massive COVID-19 outbreak that sealed them in a Philadelphia hotel for a full week and continues to sideline most of their Opening Day roster indefinitely, the Marlins will still attempt to cram in a full 60. MLB announced Thursday that they’ll reach the target by utilizing doubleheaders and mutual off days. All told, the Fish have their remaining 53 games scheduled over a 52-game span.

The next two weeks are unaffected, but then things get funky:

• Aug. 7-9 vs. Mets | Citi Field | three games (three road)
• Aug. 11-12 vs. Blue Jays | two games (two road)
• Aug. 14-16 vs. Braves | Marlins Park | three games (three home)
• Aug. 17-20 vs. Mets | Marlins Park | four games (four home)
• Aug. 21-24 vs. Nationals | Nationals Park | five games (four road, one home)
• Aug. 25-27 vs. Mets | Citi Field | three games (three road)
• Aug. 28-30 vs. Rays | Marlins Park | three games (three home)
• Sept. 1-2 vs. Blue Jays | Marlins Park | two games (two home)
• Sept. 4-6 vs. Rays | Tropicana Field | three games (three road)
• Sept. 7-9 vs. Braves | Truist Park | three games (three road)
• Sept. 10-14 vs. Phillies | Marlins Park | seven games (seven home)
• Sept. 15-17 vs. Red Sox | Marlins Park | three games (three home)
• Sept. 18-20 vs. Nationals | Marlins Park | five games (five home)
• Sept. 21-24 vs. Braves | Truist Park | four games (four road)
• Sept. 25-27 vs. Yankees | Yankee Stadium | three games (three road)

As was the case last Wednesday in Baltimore, doubleheader games for the rest of 2020 are only seven innings apiece instead of the usual nine. The Marlins will have 28 active players for most of this stretch, but the league allows a 29th man for doubleheaders, which are scheduled for Aug. 22, Sept. 11, Sept. 13, Sept. 18 and Sept. 20.

If all goes according to this revised plan, beautiful Marlins Park will host 27 contests in a 38-day span.