After postponing Sunday’s finale of the Cubs series because of Hurricane Frances, the Florida Marlins are likely to play a home game at Wrigley Field on Friday as part of a rescheduled doubleheader.
The other two games of the postponed series are likely to be played as a doubleheader Sept. 20 in Miami, the only shared off day the two teams have the rest of the season. An official announcement is expected Sunday, as both teams and Major League Baseball negotiate details.
“We have no definitive schedule on when those [three games] might be,” Cubs President Andy MacPhail said Saturday. “A lot of scenarios have been bounced back and forth. I can’t tell you for certain which one it’s going to be because there are a lot of people who have some voice in this issue, least of all the visiting club.”
Cubs players will agree to accept playing a doubleheader Sept. 20 in Miami, according to player representative Mark Prior. Players from both teams are allowed to vote on it because of a stipulation in the collective bargaining agreement with Major League Baseball preventing teams from playing on more than 20 consecutive days.
“Under normal circumstances, I don’t think there would be any way guys would agree to that,” Prior said. “But given the season and the way our schedule and their schedule is . . . I think [the Marlins] might have it even tougher. It’s kind of a give and take. They’re going to be put in a tough situation, and we’re going to be put in a tough situation.”
Cubs players, however, would not accept a split doubleheader in Miami that would allow the Marlins to have two gates. The Cubs are concerned about unnecessary time between games because they have a night game Sept. 21 in Pittsburgh.
“That would definitely be something, as players, we would balk at,” Prior said. “We’re going to be coming from Cincinnati. We have no intention of spending 12 hours down there to play a 1 o’clock game and a 6 o’clock game.
“Especially since I would expect those games to be tight, we can go to extra innings in one of those ballgames, and that could make for a long trip. I don’t expect us to play a split doubleheader, based on time.”
The Marlins have a doubleheader against Montreal on Sept. 14, so if doubleheaders are rescheduled for Sept. 10 and 20, that would give them two in five days (seven games overall) and three in 11 days (14 games).
MacPhail agreed such a scenario would be “onerous under any circumstances.” Playing a twin bill on Sept. 20 would give the Cubs four games in three cities in three days, so it won’t be easy for either team.
“It’s not ideal,” MacPhail said. “It’s not great, but then again, you don’t have great choices available to you.”
Though Florida general manager Larry Beinfest said Friday the Marlins would not play a rescheduled home game on the road, Commissioner Bud Selig is expected to invoke the “best interests of the game” clause in the agreement if the Marlins balk. Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said the final decision is MLB’s to make, not the Cubs’ or Marlins’.
“Jim Hendry and Larry Beinfest, in the end, probably won’t have a whole lot to say about it,” Hendry said.
MLB would decide whether the Marlins will have the final at-bat in any rescheduled game at Wrigley, though MacPhail and Prior agreed the Marlins should bat last in a “home” game at Wrigley.
“Fair is fair,” MacPhail said.
In a rescheduled game Aug. 18 in San Francisco, Montreal not only gave up a home game but was forced to bat first in a ruling by MLB, which owns the Expos. That gave the Giants 82 home games and a slight advantage in the five-team wild-card chase, though they split the doubleheader that included that game.
The idea of rescheduling two games and waiting for the end of the regular season to play the third game on Oct. 4, if necessary, apparently was shot down by MLB, which already is looking at potential tiebreaking scenarios for the wild wild-card scramble.
“I’m sure they’re going to jealously guard the Oct. 4 open date because we now have five teams within 2 1/2 games of one postseason berth,” MacPhail said.
The tentative doubleheader in Wrigley Field would be a straight doubleheader in which fans get two games for the price of one. Prior, who lost Game 6 of the National League Championship Series to Florida last October, is likely to get the first crack against the Marlins in starting Game 1 of the doubleheader.
The rematch of the NLCS is one of the more anticipated series of the season.
“It’s almost kind of a benefit to the fans,” Prior said. “They get a free ballgame if you have tickets.”
