#MLB 2020: A look back at other unusual shortened seasons

Instead of baseball’s traditional marathon, its 2020 season will be a sprint to the finish. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, MLB has formulated a 60-game season that will be unlike any it has had before considering the circumstances. But leagues have certainly had their own unique seasons before, because of strikes, lockouts or wars. Here’s a look at how some of those campaigns have played out:

1918-19 MLB war-impacted seasons

World War I threw a curveball to the baseball season in 1918. MLB decided to shorten the schedule from 154 games to 140, though teams ended up playing somewhere between 123-131 games after the season was cut short on Sept. 2, the day after the federal government’s work-or-fight deadline. About 15 players per team had been drafted or enlisted by July. The war ended in November 1918, but in its aftermath, the 1919 season was also shortened to 140 games.

1982 NFL strike-interrupted season

NFL teams played a single-digit number of games (nine) for the first and only time in league history, thanks to a 57-day strike in the middle of the season. Weeks 3-10 were canceled, and the NFLPA tried to fill the void with a pair of AFC-NFC All-Star games. With the shortened regular season, the playoffs were expanded to 16 teams, with the top eight from each conference qualifying, including a pair of teams with losing records. The Redskins went on to beat the Dolphins in Super Bowl XVII.

1987 NFL replacement players

The first two weeks of the season were played as scheduled before the players called for a strike, resulting in Week 3 being canceled. Replacement players were then brought in for Weeks 4-6, as teams used a number of preseason cuts, USFL and CFL castoffs and even some players who crossed the picket line. The strike ended in time for the regulars to return in Week 7. The Redskins, who did not have any players cross the picket line, weathered the storm and won the Super Bowl.

1995 MLB strike-delayed season

After the 1994 MLB season was cut short in August by a players’ strike — sorry, Expos — it lingered into the 1995 campaign, pushing Opening Day back to April 25. After the threat of using replacement players was avoided, fan resentment was not as the league fit in a 144-game schedule, which led into the expanded playoffs that included division series for the first time. The Indians still managed to win 100 games, but fell to the Braves in the World Series.

1998-99 NBA lockout-shortened season

A labor dispute created a lockout until a new CBA was finally reached and a 50-game season began on Feb. 5, weeks after Michael Jordan announced his retirement. The Knicks earned the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 27-23 record, then knocked off the Heat, Hawks and Pacers, only to lose to the Spurs in the NBA Finals.

2012-13 NHL lockout-shortened season

With another CBA having expired and a lockout ensuing, the NHL didn’t begin playing until Jan. 19 for a 48-game season — with less than a week of training camp to prepare. With the abbreviated schedules, teams only played within their conference. The Blackhawks blazed through the regular season with a 36-7-5 mark and ultimately beat the Bruins for the Stanley Cup.