Written by Xavier Snyder
The professional baseball season is now just over halfway into its shortened 60-game season, with fans absent from stadiums and players social distancing in the dugouts. The pandemic is not the thing to have an impact on the MLB season. Just two weeks ago, multiple games were postponed in protest of racial injustice, and the Mets and Marlins walked away from a game before leaving a “Black Lives Matter” shirt on the home plate. This display of solidarity, typically seen in the NFL and NBA, was a rare first for the MLB.
Leading MLB right now are teams such as the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays, while the previous two World Champions, the Nationals and Red Sox, are at the bottom of the standings. In the NL Central, the Cubs hold a commanding lead over their competitors, while in the AL Central, the White Sox, Indians and Twins are all close competitors for first.
With the shortened season, it’s been interesting to see how teams fare with less time to rebound from losing streaks. In the AL West, the Athletics and Astros are on losing stretches, while the Mariners are coming off a win streak that is putting them in a competitive position going forward.
Meanwhile, a few players merit mentions of various achievements: the Brave’s Ronald Acuna Jr. continues to play extremely well, while Mike Trout recently hit his 300th home run, an Angels franchise record. The rest of the season is shaping up to be an interesting ride, with records and statistical anomalies likely.