Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association agreed Thursday to expand the playoffs from 10 teams to 16 teams for the 2020 season, the sides announced.
 
"This season will be a sprint to a new format that will allow more fans to experience playoff baseball," commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement announcing the expansion. "We look forward to a memorable Postseason concluding a year like no other."
 
All second-place teams in the six divisions will now qualify for the playoffs. The seventh and eighth playoff teams in each league will be determined by best record.
 
The first round of the playoffs, scheduled for Sept. 29-Oct. 2, will be four three-game series in each league with all games played at the higher seed's home stadium. The rest of the rounds will be their customary length: The two division series in each league will be five-game series, while the American League and National League Championship Series and World Series will be seven-game series.

The 14 strikeouts also set a club record for Opening Day and were the most in the majors in an opener since Hall of Famer Randy Johnson also fanned 14 on March 31, 1996. Bieber was just one strikeout shy of the record for an opener held by Washington's Camilo Pascual in 1960.

Jeff Passan and Jesse Rogers of ESPN are reporting that eight more Marlins players and two coaches have tested positive for COVID-19.
 
As a result, the Marlins have postponed their home opener against the Orioles on Monday. The team has delayed their travel back to Philadelphia while trying to control the situation. This news comes just one day after it was learned that four players (reportedly including Jose Urena, Garrett Cooper, and Harold Ramirez) tested positive on Sunday. It was always going to be a challenge to pull off a season amid a pandemic, but MLB made it just three days before an outbreak presented itself within a clubhouse. Even with expanded rosters, taxi squads, and players staying ready at alternate training sites, it's fair to question how sustainable this all is and what the breaking point might be for MLB. This is a definitive day for the sport.

It's possible that the infections occurred Wednesday on the team's trip to and from Atlanta, where the Marlins played the Braves in an exhibition game. Since leaving Atlanta -- after a flight delay -- the Marlins have been in Philadelphia all weekend for the team's opening series.

Just talked to some members of the Yankees traveling party and team is concerned about the visitors' clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park, since Marlins just left and there is a reported outbreak of COVID-19 within the Miami team. No decisions have been made regarding tonight's game.
 

Yankees have been told that the visitors clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park has been completely fumigated several times. Yankees also brought their own clubhouse personnel down from NYC to work the game, if it happens tonight.
 

An option would be for Yankees-Phillies to move everything to Yankee Stadium starting tomorrow, and play a double-header this week to makeup for today's game. Phillies were already scheduled to be in the Bronx Wednesday for the Yankees' home opener.
 

Craig Mish of SportsGrid reports that the Marlins' season has been "paused" for the time being.
 
It was the only real choice with a COVID-19 outbreak in their clubhouse. By last count, 17 individuals (including 15 players and two coaches) have tested positive. In addition to all of the safety concerns, the Marlins simply can't field a competitive team right now. There has also been talk about the Phillies (who played the Marlins over the weekend) pausing their season at least for a few days. There should be more clarity on the situation soon, but this is not what anybody wants to see less than one week into the season.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that one scenario being floated by MLB would include the Marlins and Phillies quarantining for an undetermined period of time.
 
The Orioles were supposed to play the Marlins early this week and the Yankees were supposed to play the Phillies, so under this plan, the Yankees would now travel to Baltimore and play the Orioles on Wednesday and Thursday. The Marlins and Phillies would try to make up the games they missed later. The plan was for everyone to play a 60-game season, but flexibility will be needed to complete a season in the middle of a pandemic. In the end, playoff spots will likely be determined by winning percentage. That's assuming COVID-19 doesn't end up shutting everything down before we even get to that point. Stay tuned.

Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports that Friday's game between the Cardinals and Brewers has been postponed due to someone with the Cardinals having a positive COVID-19 test.
 
As it stands right now, they hope to make the game up as part of a doubleheader on Sunday. Saturday's game is currently still scheduled. Craig Mish of SportsGrid hears that it's two Cardinals players that have tested positive, while Joel Sherman of the New York Post adds that the Cardinals are self-isolating at their hotel and not going to the park. Also, if the positive test came while the Cardinals were in Minnesota this week -- which seems likely -- it would put the Indians/Twins series in jeopardy, as well.