SB Nation Reacts: Time to shorten the MLB season?

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Each week, we send 30 polls to plugged in fans from each team. Astros fans, sign up HERE to join Reacts.

Minus a few notable exceptions, the MLB season has traditionally been 162 games since the 1962 season. Fans are used to seeing their favorite team play almost every day from early April through September. In a way, a baseball team feels like part of your extended family that drops by your house most days in the spring and summer. And if they keep coming around through October, then that was even better.

Coming off a season in 2020 that was cut by 63 percent due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were questions about whether the upcoming 2021 season would also see fewer games. From what I can gather, there hasn’t been a significant push to shorten the season by some extreme measure. Of those polled, fans are generally in agreement that the 2021 season shouldn’t be shortened.

Of the 38 percent who voted in favor of a shortened season, more than 70 percent of those voters want to keep the season between 141 to 162 games.

While I feel like there is a reasonable baseball argument why a season ought to be shorter, a regular 162-game season in 2021 would be an encouraging development, especially if proper health protocols are maintained. Easier said than done, though.

Needless to say, however, most fans are not in favor of a permanently shortened season in the first place. So there’s that.

To vote in the Reacts surveys and have your voice heard each week, sign up here.