American Association Unveils Plans For 2020 Season
Newman Outdoor Field will be one of the host sites for a shortened American Association season
The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks’ season will last 60-games starting in July 3rd with fans in attendance.
The 2020 season will operate out of three hub cities hosted by the Redhawks, Sioux Falls Canaries and Milwaukee Milkmen.
42 of the 60 games are to take place in each hub city to limit travel.
The Winnipeg Goldeyes will operate out of Fargo.
At Newman Outdoor Field, fans will be at 50 percent capacity with every other row closed off. All staff members will wear masks, plastic shields and sanitizing stations placed throughout the ballpark.
The Redhawks open up the season with a three-game series against the Goldeyes with the regular season ending on September 10th with a five-game series of the two top teams. The remaining part of the schedule will drop on Monday.
Full Press Release Below
MOORHEAD, MN – The American Association of Independent Professional Baseball will begin a six team, 60-game season with fans in attendance on Friday, July 3, the league office announced today. The full schedule will be announced on Monday, June 15.
The American Association will begin the season operating out of three hubs, with games hosted by the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, Milwaukee Milkmen and Sioux Falls Canaries. The Winnipeg Goldeyes will operate out of the Fargo hub, the Chicago Dogs will operate out of the Milwaukee hub, and the St. Paul Saints will operate out of the Sioux Falls hub. Each team will play 42 of their 60 games in their hub to limit travel. The schedule will allow any of the three road clubs to return home for games if local governmental restrictions allow for games with fans in attendance.
The American Association teams participating in the 2020 season were based on cities allowing for fans in attendance at stadiums, geography, and the COVID-19 restrictions that persist in certain American Association cities.
Each team and stadium will have in place and enforce COVID Readiness Plans, approved by local Health Departments and Government Officials. Stadiums will be configured to return to play with limited capacity in order to allow for safe social distancing while enjoying a live, professional baseball game.
A truncated Spring Training will begin on June 25, with Opening Day scheduled for July 3. The American Association will experiment with new roster rules in 2020, highlighted by the elimination of rookie, LS, and veteran minimums and maximums on rosters, and a draft of players from non-participating clubs to allow the best possible talent available to play this season. The regular season will end on September 10, with a five-game American Association Finals pitting the top two teams from the regular season.
“We are very happy to be able to return professional baseball to our fans, albeit in a different fashion than usual,” said American Association Commissioner Joshua Schaub. “We look forward to opening up our season on July 3 for a summer of high-level professional baseball and bringing America’s Pastime back to the fans.”
Courtesy: American Association
