The Fall Classic will run later into the fall than usual this year. At least if it goes more than four games.
Major League Baseball just announced the postseason schedule and it features a World Series Game 7 date of November 4. Which was inevitable given the later-than-usual start of the season and the expanded playoffs. It breaks down thusly:
Last day of regular season: October 4
AL Wild Card Game: October 6;
NL Wild Card Game: October 7;
Both ALDS: begin on October 8 -- Game 5s, if necessary, October 14;
Both NLDS: begin on October 9 -- Game 5s, if necessary, October 15;
ALCS: begins October 16 -- Game 7, if necessary, October 24;
NLCS: begins October 17 -- Game 7, if necessary, October 25;
World Series dates
Game 1: October 27
Game 2: October 28
Game 3: October 30
Game 4: October 31
Game 5 (if necessary): November 1
Game 6 (if necessary): November 3
Game 7 (if necessary): November 4
There have been three previous World Series with November Games. 2001 was the most memorable, of course, as Major League Baseball suspended play for six days following the September 11 attacks, with the World Series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the New York Yankees getting under way Oct. 27 . Games 6 and 7 were played in Arizona on November 3 and 4.
In 2009 the season started late due to the World Baseball Classic. Games 4, 5 and 6 were played in November, with the Yankees winning Game 6 on November 4.
Finally, the San Francisco Giants won the World Series over the Texas Rangers in 2010 in five games, with Game 5 being played on November 1.
If the playoffs started today, the teams would be in New York (Yankees and Mets), Kansas City, Houston, Toronto, Baltimore, St. Louis, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh and Chicago. That’s fairly decent as far as weather goes, with a lot of warm weather and/or dome teams. New York and Chicago is a tad dicey. Pittsburgh and Baltimore as well. But really, even St. Louis and Kansas City could, at least theoretically, get icky weather. Anything can happen in late October or early November, be it warm temperatures or crazy, unexpected snow, but the later you go the more you tempt fate.
If weather does mess with the Fall Classic, turning it into the Winter Classic, expect to have a long offseason conversation about things like 154-game schedules and neutral site World Series again. Which are dreary topics to be sure, but dreary weather could give them fresh currency .