Major League Baseball to start regular 60-game season from July

The Major League Baseball commissioner Robert Manfred confirmed that the 2020 season will be a 60-game regular event anticipated to begin on July 23 and 24.

The announcement follows confirmation from the MLB Players Association which has accepted the health and safety protocols that will guide MLB's return to play and that players will be able to report for training by July 1.

"The health and safety of players and employees will remain MLB's foremost priorities in its return to play. MLB is working with a variety of public health experts, infectious disease specialists and technology providers on a comprehensive approach that aims to facilitate a safe return," read a MLB statement.

"Major League Baseball is thrilled to announce that the 2020 season is on the horizon. We have provided the Players Association with a schedule to play 60 games and are excited to provide our great fans with Baseball again soon," commissioner Manfred said.

The proposed schedule will largely feature divisional play, with the remaining portion of each club's games against their opposite league's corresponding geographical division (i.e., East vs East, Central vs Central and West vs West), in order to mitigate travel. The vast majority of Major League clubs are expected to conduct training at the ballparks in their primary home cities.

( With inputs from ANI )