Rob Lowe may be a Hollywood icon, but his heart belongs to baseball. The longtime actor, who grew up cheering for the Cincinnati Reds before adopting the Los Angeles Dodgers as his West Coast team, has never been shy about sharing his love for the game. But lately, he's been less than thrilled with how Major League Baseball is shaping its seasons.
In a recent outburst, Lowe took aim at the league's move to a balanced schedule, which will see teams face every other club in 2026. While he's not entirely opposed to playing everyone, he's frustrated that this format cuts down on the number of games between divisional rivals and traditional AL/NL foes. And he's not alone—plenty of fans are echoing his sentiments.
"It's not so much the playing every team that bothers me it's when you play them. Like why we got an NL team in the pennant race playing the Angels on September 23rd. Gotta keep divisional games in April and September," one fan wrote, capturing the essence of the complaint.
The criticism isn't just about timing; it's about the erosion of rivalries. Another fan lamented, "Not playing your rivals nearly as much is awful. A few seasons ago the cubs only came to STL for one series because of the balanced schedule and the dumb London games. That should never happen."
Lowe's stance resonates with those who believe the last month of the regular season should be all about divisional battles. "He's right. The last month should be division games at least. First month or 2 for inter league, & then drop to league only, final month is division," suggested one supporter.
For some, the change has even dimmed their enthusiasm for the sport. "I basically checked out of baseball once this started happening. I used to know the entire NL Central by heart. Like (insert guys) numbers are meh but he always seems to take against our guy," admitted another fan.
This isn't the first time schedule gripes have made headlines. Just as Mad Dog Russo blasted NFL schedule makers over prime-time placements, and Peter King warned against expanding the NFL schedule, baseball fans are now voicing their own scheduling frustrations. The question is whether MLB will listen.
While the balanced schedule aims to create more cross-league excitement, it's clear that many purists miss the old ways. As the 2026 season approaches, the debate rages on: Did MLB make a mistake? For Lowe and countless fans, the answer seems to be a resounding yes.
