When the Arizona Diamondbacks released their 2012 schedule, it was approved by the team, Major League Baseball and the players' association. However, apparently nobody was paying attention to a stretch in August because the D-backs had a stretch of 23 consecutive days of work. The current collective bargaining agreement stipulates that teams cannot go more than 20 days without a day off.
As such, it was announced on Monday that a change in the schedule had to be made.
Now, on August 22, there will be a split day/night doubleheader against the Miami Marlins.
Originally, the D-backs and Marlins were scheduled to play the final game of their four-game set on Thursday, August 23. That game has been moved to the 22nd and will be played at 12:40 PM. Any Aug 23 game ticket will be valid for the August 22 12:40 game.
It marks the first time in Chase Field that a doubleheader is played there. Because it has a retractable roof, there has never been a time that a game has had to be postponed because of weather. It will be the first doubleheader played in a park with a retractable roof since the Mariners and Indians did at Safeco Field in September 2007. In that instance, it was a makeup game from a contest that was snowed out in Cleveland.
Ernie Banks used to say, "Let's play two!" Arizona baseball fans get their chance.
The only thing that is concerning is how something that seems to be as important as following a scheduling rule could have been overlooked by so many people, and why, once it was approved by everyone involved, it had to be changed.
In any case, day baseball is always a bit more of a treat, at least during the summer, because more youth are able to attend. In this case, though, school will already have begun.
If you had plans to attend the game on August 23, but now cannot because of the change, that stinks. But if you can make the day game on the 22nd, know that you will be part of Chase Field history.
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