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Indians' Mike Clevinger concerned shortened season would mean asterisk for World Series winner

Cleveland Indians pitcher Mike Clevinger said it would be hard not to view a World Series title during a shortened season as tainted.

Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19), the 2020 MLB season is currently on hold.

But when -- or if -- baseball returns to action this year, Cleveland Indians pitcher Mike Clevinger is already concerned with how the eventual World Series winner will be viewed.

In an interview with Indians broadcaster Jim Rosenhaus released by the team on Monday, Clevinger discussed the uncertainty that's currently clouding the 2020 campaign. And in doing so, the 29-year-old admitted to having mixed feelings about playing a shortened season, which he believes would taint the title for whoever wins the World Series.

“I just feel bad for -- if this is our magic year and we do go and win it and it’s only an 80-game season, I don’t want an asterisk next to our World Series,” Clevinger said. “That would be my concern."

Clevinger also added: "I don’t want it to be looked at as any lesser than any other World Series title. It’d be hard-pressed to not look at it as lesser if you only play half the games. So I mean, that’s definitely a concern.”

But while Clevinger's concerns may be valid, the reality remains that at this point, there may not be any way for baseball to avoid a shortened season. Already a month into what would have been the start of the regular season and with no sign of a delayed Opening Day in sight, MLB may not have the luxury of being choosey when it comes to its options for playing some semblance of a 2020 campaign.

That, however, hasn't stopped baseball from being creative, with ESPN's Jeff Passan reporting the league has looked at relocating all of its teams to Arizona for the year, with players traveling exclusively from their hotel to stadiums. Additionally, CBS Sports reported on Tuesday that the league is also looking at dividing teams into hubs in Texas, Arizona and Florida.

As for which proposal Clevinger supports, his answer is simple: Whichever one results in the league playing the most games.

"Doubleheaders every week to get in as [many] games as possible," Clevinger said. "If we wanted to squeeze and play a World Series in late-December or January and then turn back around and get rolling in a month and a half."

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