Leones plan short baseball season beginning in August

The division-winning Yucatan Leones will roar again, but not until at least late summer, and for a shortened season.

The Mexican Baseball League announced in a statement Thursday that it will hold a 48-game season lasting from Aug. 7 to Oct. 1, with a 12-team expanded playoff from Oct. 3 through early November. The plan includes allowing fans to attend games, but the statement says that detail will be “constantly updated” according to guidelines set by health institutions.

A unanimous vote between team/club presidents and LMB managers produced this compromise:

· 48 games per team

· Start of the regular season: Friday, Aug. 7

· End of the regular season: Thursday, Oct. 1

· Start of the playoffs: Saturday, Oct. 3 (the Playoffs would be expanded to 12 participating teams)

· Start of the King’s Series (Mexico’s World Series): Monday, Nov. 2

The LMB developed the Diamond Plan for the Reactivation of the 2020 Season, which focuses on the safety and health of fans, players and everyone involved in the daily details of the game, as well as staff from the LMB and its associated clubs.

The possibility of playing behind closed doors was ruled out.