Yankees' Judge: Playoff bubble 'takes away' home-field advantage

Major League Baseball is looking into moving the postseason to a bubble after playing the entire regular season in ballparks across the country, but one marquee player isn't a fan of the change.

"To be honest, I feel like this whole process takes away from the point of winning," New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge told the press Monday. "You know, that's why we bust our butt all season - to have a good record and to have home-field advantage, to play in our home park, and to play in front of our home fans."

While fans likely won't be allowed at any games regardless of whether the league adopts a bubble for playoff play, commissioner Rob Manfred did admit last month that expanding the postseason came with the caveat of maintaining an advantage for the top-seeded teams.

"The advantage to winning the division is all three games in each series ... all (games will be played) at the site of the club with the higher record," Manfred said during ESPN's Opening Day broadcast of the Yankees game against the Washington Nationals. A playoff bubble would not adhere to that structure.

The idea of a playoff bubble arose after multiple teams had their seasons derailed by positive COVID-19 tests and team-wide outbreaks of the virus. The Miami Marlins were the first to encounter scheduling changes, impacting other teams, while the St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, and New York Mets each also dealt with outbreaks and postponements.

Southern California, Chicago, and New York were reportedly under consideration earlier this month as multi-park bubble sites for postseason play, slated to begin after the regular season ends on Sept. 27. The league has not finalized details.

The NBA is currently playing their entire playoff tournament in one single bubble located in Orlando, while the NHL is conducting its postseason in two separate hub cities.