2021 Opening Day: Successful in Light of Covid

The 2021 MLB season kicked off on April 1st with 13 teams playing, after a postponement for the Nationals v. Mets game that occurred because of positive COVID tests. However, for the games that were played, things went smoothly and we got to witness fans in the stadiums for the first time in over a year.

Most teams chose to have around 10,000 fans for their games because of the COVID restrictions placed on them. The Texas Rangers, with relaxed restrictions from their governor, allowed 40,000 fans, 100 percent capacity, in their new stadium.

The return of America’s pastime came with an old star, Miguel Cabrera, hitting the first home run of the season while moving towards the 500th one of his career. It also came with cold weather from the East and Midwest, where we saw temperatures in the thirties. As usual, there was not a shortage of runs with the cold weather.

Opening Day is also special because each team puts their ace pitcher on the mound. Gerrit Cole for the Yankees went up against a young star in Hyun Jin Ryu, while the Diamondbacks’ old-timer, Madison Bumgarner, went against the Padres’ young star, Yu Darvish.

The 2020 season included a 60-game packed schedule with quiet stadiums that included empty seats, except the playoffs, where limited fans were allowed. Players struggled to find their groove because of the importance of each at-bat and the pressure on them to perform during the height of the pandemic.

Christian Yelich, one of the top players in the National League in 2019, whose batting average was .329 that year, batted .205 in the 2020 shortened season. Major League Baseball plans to have a full 162-game season for 2021, which will allow young and upcoming stars to portray their full potential in the usual form.

Lessons were learned from the 2020 season including that baseball should be played in a long season and fans are needed to energize the game and the players. The 2020 season lacked excitement because of the quiet stadiums, but also because the presentation on television was not enjoyable. Teams and the game of baseball have the opportunity to bounce back from a disappointing season, and the 2021 season is off to a good start.