BASEBALL AND BETTING IN A PANDEMIC

Major League Baseball returns Thursday, giving bettors something they've been craving during the pandemic.
Baseball has always been a bettor’s paradise. With multiple games on almost every day of the regular season and a wide variety of creative wagers, Opening Day of the 2020 season can’t come soon enough.

Baseball may not be a cure for COVID-19, but it will most certainly ease a lot of the pain caused by the worldwide pandemic. If the New Jersey betting market is any indication, and it likely is, the July 23 start date is coming at just the right time.

The coronavirus has certainly robbed sports fans of many treasures we may have taken for granted in years past. For baseball purists, and betting fans, the absence of baseball has been a bitter pill to swallow, even if it’s for the greater good.

It’s now time, though, to relish that classic sound of a 95-mph fastball as it hits the catcher’s mitt. Fans, especially the betting public, seem more than ready.

The betting handle in New Jersey jumped over 40% from May to June, while it’s gone up a more modest but promising 15% in Pennsylvania. Those numbers sure seem to indicate that the betting market is on the rebound just in time for baseball to take center stage.

Let’s face it, bettors can only make it on the PGA, NASCAR, and mixed martial arts for so long. America needs baseball for so many reasons right now, and bettors are showing it. Opening night on Thursday will provide a tasty first course to what will hopefully be a bountiful 60-game schedule.

New York Yankees at Washington Nationals

Who better than the New York Yankees to get this party started on opening night against the defending World Series Champion Washington Nationals. If you are looking for offense in this one, you might be disappointed as Gerrit Cole gets the start for the Yankees against Max Scherzer for the Nationals.

Hitting traditionally takes a while to catch up to pitching in a normal year, but with these two on the mound, the bats may stay more quiet than normal. Both teams are strong, and near the top of most lists of favorites to win it all, so you can bet it will be a fine way to kick things off.

For the West Coasters and the late-nighters, the second game of Opening Day should provide satisfaction as well.

San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers

This National League West rivalry should whet everyone’s appetite. The Giants will start Johnny Cueto against Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw.

The Dodgers may be the runaway favorite to dominate the National League West yet again, but anything can happen when these teams get together, especially in a year like 2020.

A full slate of games follows on Friday as teams navigate what will surely be the strangest season sprint anyone has ever seen.

Baseball fanatics and bettors alike love statistics. They provide us with just enough predictability to create a comfort level. That’s what might just make the 2020 Major League Baseball season one we’ll never forget.

Sixty games in 66 days to decide playoff teams. No time for slow starts or month-long slumps. No dog days of summer. Those days are already here. This is just what America needs. You can bet on it.