Major League Baseball said Friday that spring training games will not start until March 5 at the earliest due to the ongoing lockout.
“We regret that, without a collective bargaining agreement in place, we must postpone the start of Spring Training games until no earlier than Saturday, March 5th,” read an MLB statement. “All 30 Clubs are unified in their strong desire to bring players back to the field and fans back to the stands.”
Fans who purchased tickets for any games scheduled prior to that date are eligible for a refund.
The opening games in the Cactus League and Grapefruit League had been slated for Feb. 26.
The league said it will resume talks Monday with the MLB Players Association.
“We are committed to reaching an agreement that is fair to each side,” the MLB statement continued. “On Monday, members of the owners’ bargaining committee will join an in-person meeting with the Players Association and remain every day next week to negotiate and work hard towards starting the season on time.”
This is the first baseball work stoppage since the strike that began Aug. 12, 1994, led to the cancellation of the 1994 World Series and didn’t resolve until April 2, 1995. Since then, the players and owners had reached five collective bargaining agreements without any shutdowns.
–Field Level Media