ST. LOUIS — For the first time in 27 years, Major League Baseball will lose games to a labor dispute.
With the league owners and MLB Players' Association failing to reach a deal on a new collective bargaining agreement by the MLB-implemented 5 p.m. deadline on Tuesday, cancellations are coming.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announced during a press conference that the league has canceled opening day and the first two series of the season to drop the schedule from 162 games to 156 games at most.
From a St. Louis Cardinals perspective, that means the team will lose its first two series on the road against the Pittsburgh Pirates (March 31-April 3), and against the Chicago Cubs (April 4 and 6).
Both of those series would have been home openers for the Pirates and Cubs.
As of now, the team's home opener against the Pirates on Thursday, April 7 is still in play to happen, given a deal materializes between the league and the union.
The Cardinals released a statement on the cancellations on Tuesday evening:
"We are very disappointed that a labor agreement was not reached in time to avoid a delay to the start of MLB’s regular season.
The Cardinals remain hopeful that a resolution can be reached in time to prevent any games at Busch Stadium from being impacted.
We are continuing to prepare for our tradition-filled home opener on Thursday, April 7, and look forward to getting the season underway as soon as possible."
We are continuing to prepare for our tradition-filled home opener on Thursday, April 7, and look forward to getting the season underway as soon as possible.
Manfred said as of now the league and union had not made plans for future negotiations.
After the sides made progress during 13 negotiating sessions over 16-and-a-half hours Monday, the league sent the players' association a “best and final offer” Tuesday on the ninth straight day of negotiations.
Players rejected that offer, setting the stage for MLB to follow through on its threat to cancel opening day.
At 5:10 p.m., Manfred issued a statement that many fans had been dreading: Nothing to look forward to on opening day, normally a spring standard of renewal for fans throughout the nation and some in Canada, too.
The ninth work stoppage in baseball history will be the fourth that causes regular-season games to be canceled.