INTERZONAL PLAY RETURNS TO LIGA IN 2011; MANY OTHER CHANGES MADE

The Mexican League Board of Governors met last weekend in Mazatlan to make plans for the 2011 season, and a number of changes are being instituted. The expanded 120-game schedule will feature the return of interzonal games plus the elimination of both the two-half schedule and points system.

Next year, Mexican League teams will open with traditional two-game, home-and-away series. After that, each club will embark on a 90-game portion of the schedule in which they play the other 15 Liga teams in two three-game series: Once at home and once on the road. Teams will then finish the regular season with a 28-game stretch of two-game series only within their own division, again with one series at home and another two-game set on the road against each of the other seven teams in their zone. Monday night baseball will be added on a limited basis as well.

The LMB also voted to scrap the current (and often controversial) system in which the season has been divided into two halves with point allotments based on how teams finished in the standings. Instead, playoff berths will be determined simply on won-lost percentages over 120 regular season games.