The first and final days of the 2021 MLB regular season have been revealed

LAKELAND, FL - MARCH 01: A detailed view of a pair of official Rawlings Major League Baseball baseballs with the imprinted signature of Robert D. Manfred Jr., the Commissioner of Major League Baseball, sitting in the dugout prior to the Spring Training game between the New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium on March 1, 2020 in Lakeland, Florida. The Tigers defeated the Yankees 10-4. (Photo by Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
LAKELAND, FL - MARCH 01: A detailed view of a pair of official Rawlings Major League Baseball baseballs with the imprinted signature of Robert D. Manfred Jr., the Commissioner of Major League Baseball, sitting in the dugout prior to the Spring Training game between the New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium on March 1, 2020 in Lakeland, Florida. The Tigers defeated the Yankees 10-4. (Photo by Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /
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It’s never too early to prepare for the future, based off MLB’s latest update

The 2020 MLB season has yet to commence, as all 30 teams are participating in their respective summer camps. Yet, that’s not stopping the professional baseball league from preparing for the future.

On Wednesday, MLB announced that the very first day of the 2021 season will take place on April 1 for all clubs. Additionally, the final game of the regular season will be held on Oct. 3.

2021 Opening Day Schedule

Here are the 15 games that will kick off the 2021 MLB regular season, with all times to be determined:

  • Blue Jays at Yankees
  • Mets at Nationals
  • Astros at Athletics
  • Braves at Phillies
  • White Sox at Angels
  • Indians at Tigers
  • Twins at Brewers
  • Orioles at Red Sox
  • Dodgers at Rockies
  • Cardinals at Reds
  • Rays at Marlins
  • Pirates at Cubs
  • Diamondbacks at Padres
  • Rangers at Royals
  • Giants at Mariners

Commissioner Rob Manfred had intended to have every club participate in a league-wide Opening Day this year on March 26. Of course, that never happened due to the coronavirus pandemic hitting the United States, forcing MLB to shut down spring training.

Of course, the expectation for next year is for all teams to participate in their traditional 162-game campaign, where teams will be allowed to travel across the nation once the spread of COVID-19 has subsided and a vaccine has been introduced. Additionally, they hope that full attendance will be permitted at every ballpark throughout the season.

In this 60-game season, teams will be confined to Eastern, Central, and Western divisions with the purpose of limiting the amount of travel. Teams will face each of their regular division rivals ten times, while splitting up 20 games with their NL counterpart (i.e. AL East vs. NL East).

This is a case of wishful thinking on MLB’s part regarding the 2021 season. We will know if it can be played in full by the next calendar year. But let’s focus on 2020 first before looking towards the future.

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