Opening Day 2022: Earliest Date For MLB Season To Start After Lockout

MLB officially canceled Opening Day Tuesday when the league and the players association were unable to reach a deal for a new collective bargaining agreement. Commissioner Rob Manfred announced that the first two series of the 2022 season for each team would not be played.

Opening Day 2022 had been scheduled for March 31. The season can’t start until April 7, at the earliest. The 162-game schedule has likely been cut to 156 games, and that number will continue to shrink if MLB and the union don’t come to an agreement soon.

"Players want to play; everyone knows that," Players Union Chief Tony Clark said at a press conference. "But the reason we are not playing is simple: A lockout is the ultimate economic weapon. In a $10 billion industry, the owners have made a conscious decision to use this weapon against the greatest asset they have: the players. But the group won't be intimidated. I've seen more unity over the last few years than at any time in our recent history."

Players won’t be paid for missed games. It is the fifth time in league history that games will be missed because of a work stoppage.

Eight games are on the schedule for April 7. The New York Yankees are set to host the Boston Red Sox in the day’s marquee matchup. The World Series champion Atlanta Braves are supposed to have their home opener against the Cincinnati Reds on April 7. The Houston Astros are scheduled to visit the Los Angeles Angels.

The Chicago White Sox, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Philadelphia Phillies are among the 14 teams that don’t play until April 8.

Some teams that were supposed to start the 2022 season at home won’t play a home game until at least mid-April. The Dodgers, for instance, don’t have a home game scheduled until April 14. Boston’s new home opener is set for April 15 against the Minnesota Twins.

“What Rob Manfred characterized as a 'defensive lockout' is, in fact, the culmination of a decades-long attempt by owners to break our Player fraternity,” the MLBPA said. “As in the past, this effort will fail. We are united and committed to negotiating a fair deal that will improve the sport for Players, fans, and everyone who loves our game.”

An AP study found that players will lose $20.5 million in salary for every day of the season that is canceled. The league has said it needs a four-week spring training before the season can start.