Even traditionalists understand the need to audible during a pandemic, and we already went through the drill in 2020, so seven-inning games aren’t a shock to the system.
There aren’t as many players in camp, which means fewer pitchers are available to get teams through the day. And because the outcomes of the games are meaningless, it doesn’t really matter how many innings are played or whether an inning ends early because a pitcher reached his pitch limit.
“It just keeps everybody healthy, and coming off such a short season last year, it makes a ton of sense the way they set up the rules,” Chicago Cubs manager David Ross said Tuesday before their home opener at Sloan Park in Mesa, Ariz.