Baseball Season Delayed Due To COVID-19 Precautions: MLB

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Baseball spring training will be delayed for a month at the advice of medical experts to Major League Baseball for the 2021 season, an MLB news release said.

A delay of the season would allow for the level of COVID-19 infection rates to decrease and additional time for the distribution of vaccinations, as well as minimizing potential disruptions to the 2021 season that currently face all sports, MLB said in an email.

One-hundred-fifty-four games will be played instead of the usual 162 games. The regular season will start on April 29. Another change compared to the 2020 season, is a modified expanded postseason with seven teams per league, and the universal designated hitter rule.

"This was a good deal that reflected the best interests of everyone involved in the sport by merely moving the calendar of the season back one month for health and safety reasons without impacting any rights either the players or the clubs currently have under the Basic Agreement or Uniform Player's contract for pay and service time," MLB staff said.

MLB said in a statement that the 2020 season taught them that when the nation faces crisis, the national game is as important as ever, and there is nothing better than playing ball.

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