MLB Opening Day 2021 Guide
No other major American sports league had its 2020 season disrupted more than Major League Baseball. Due to the global coronavirus pandemic, the MLB lost over 120 games in their 2020 schedule.
Typically, MLB seasons last six-months, with 162 total regular season games. Last year, we saw MLB leadership scrambling to put together a safe, efficient season which led to a shortened 60-game sprint that saw the LA Dodgers take home their first World Series in over 30 years.
With MLB Opening Day approaching in just a few weeks, here is all the info you will need to know.
MLB Opening Day 2021 and COVID-19
The coronavirus pandemic nearly shut down the entire 2020 MLB season. With the arrival of the covid-19 pandemic early last year, Spring Training was cancelled in mid-March and ultimately Opening Day was postponed to June.
A year later, America and the world still finds itself in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. This time around, vaccinations are being administered across the country which has provided the MLB more hope and flexibility in scheduling the 2021 season.
The most important change to the 2021 MLB season will be limited in-person fan attendance. Stadium seating availability has not yet been fully announced, but many are expecting there will be a percentage of seats available to fans during this season.
(image credit – usatoday.com)
When is MLB Opening Day 2012?
MLB Opening Day is scheduled for Thursday, April 1.
Who is playing on Opening Day?
The MLB will launch it’s 2021 season with all 30 teams playing on April 1st.
You can find the full Opening Day schedule here.
Opening Day National TV Schedule
ESPN will nationally broadcast four of the 15 Opening Day games:
- Blue Jays vs. Yankees (1:05 p.m. ET)
- Rockies vs. Dodgers (4:10 p.m. ET)
- Mets vs. Nationals (7:09 p.m. ET)
- Angels vs. White Sox (10:05 p.m. ET)
All 11 other games will be broadcast on local regional networks and can be streamed on MLB.TV
Upcoming 2021 MLB Calendar
- April 1: Opening Day
- April 15: Jackie Robinson Day
- June 2: Lou Gehrig Day
- July 11-13: MLB Draft
- July 13: All-Star Game
- July 25: Hall of Fame induction ceremony
Free agency and transactions
This year’s MLB offseason started off very slow, without many marquee moves that would shake the league’s competitive balance.
Moving into MLB Opening Day 2021, many exciting moves have occurred leading to early speculation on who are the playoff favorites this year.
Some notable moves include National League Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer to the Dodgers, Yu Darvish, Blake Snell and Joe Musgrove to the Padres.
With less than two weeks before the MLB season kicks off, there are still some notable players sitting in the free-agent market. Some of these free agents include starting pitchers Rick Porcello and Jake Odorizzi.
