2020 Tampa Bay Rays season

The 2020 Tampa Bay Rays season was the 23rd season of the Tampa Bay Rays franchise. The Rays played their home games at Tropicana Field as members of Major League Baseball's American League East Division.
On March 12, 2020, MLB announced that due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the start of the regular season would be delayed by at least two weeks in addition to the remainder of spring training being cancelled. Four days later, it was announced that the start of the season would be pushed back indefinitely due to the recommendation made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to restrict events of more than 50 people for eight weeks. On June 23, commissioner Rob Manfred unilaterally implemented a 60-game season. Players reported to training camps on July 1 in order to resume spring training and prepare for Opening Day in late July. The revised 60-game schedule was announced on July 6, with the Rays set to have Opening Day on July 26, and the regular season concluding on September 27. The revised Rays schedule was composed of 40 games against AL East opponents and 20 games against NL East opponents.
Due to the pandemic and the shortened season, Major League Baseball instituted certain rule changes which included the use of a universal designated hitter, a runner on second base to start extra innings, and a revised schedule. On July 30, the league and the union agreed that all remaining doubleheaders during the season would be seven innings. On September 17, the Rays clinched a spot in the playoffs for the second straight year. On September 23, the Rays clinched their third American League East championship and their first since 2010. They swept the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2020 American League Wild Card Series and beat the New York Yankees in the 2020 American League Division Series. The Rays would then go on to defeat the Houston Astros in the 2020 American League Championship Series and advanced to the World Series for the first time since 2008. They lost in the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games.
Offseason.
Rule changes.
For the 2020 season, MLB instituted several new rule changes including the following:
Further rule changes came into effect in response to the COVID-19 pandemic including the addition of the designated hitter in the National League, a shortened schedule, and in extra innings, a runner was placed at second base in each half inning.
Regular season.
Game log.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the regular season was shortened to 60 games, with teams playing 10 games against each other member of their division while also playing four games against each team in the corresponding division in the other league. The Rays played 10 games against each team in their division and 20 games between the teams in the National League East Division. On July 6, 2020, MLB announced the Rays' 60-game schedule, which began on July 24 and ended on September 27.
Postseason.
Both games of the Wild Card Series were held at Tropicana Field, by virtue of the Rays being the higher-seeded team. In all succeeding rounds, all games were played at neutral-site ballparks in order to isolate the players during the pandemic. Each game of the Division Series and the American League Championship Series was played at Petco Park in San Diego, California. In the World Series, each game is being played at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, and are also open for roughly 11,500 fans to attend.