The first 2020 baseball event in the USA may be happening as early as this weekend. Youth baseball is expected to be back outside St Louis, Missouri, involving as many as 47 teams.
Yahoo Sports reports that Rob Worstenholm of GameTime Tournaments has devised a modified set of rules to encourage proper social distancing without destroying the integrity of the game of baseball.
Changes to the game will see the home plate umpire become a pitcher's mound umpire, standing six feet to the rear of the pitching rubber.
Catchers will need to squat an extra two feet behind the batter and infielders won't need to hold runners on base. Taking a lead or stealing won't be allowed until the pitcher has released the ball, thus allowing the fielder and the eventual runner to maintain a six-feet distance all the time.
Most of the players won't be in the dugout. Only three will be allowed inside, the rest of the players will have to spread out down the fence lines, maintaining the six-feet distance.
Fist bumps, handshakes will be forbidden and any coach that enters the field to argue an umpire call will be ejected.
