Allie Wenskoski, Junior
With Opening Day of Major League Baseball (April 1) coming up fast, there is plenty of baseball to look forward to. For the past two months, players and coaches have prepared their teams and trained for the 2021 season in two warm weather locations: Florida and Arizona. Spring Training games began on March 28. The Cactus League operated as usual, with 28 games played per team. However, the Grapefruit League was a little different because the ballparks in Florida are more spread out than in Arizona. Due to Covid-19 and to limit travel, three groups of teams were created and those groups would only play each other. The East Coast group included the Mets, Nationals, Marlins, Astros, and Cardinals. The West Coast teams were split into two with the Blue Jays, Phillies, Tigers and Yankees in one group and the Braves, Rays, Red Sox and Twins in the other. While those groups would not play each other, the Orioles and the Pirates split their time between both.
Spring Training is a very exciting time for MLB fans as it allows for fans to watch their favorite players and see how their team is playing a few months early. This year, fans were allowed to watch in the ballpark, but there was a limited number allowed. This will be true for the regular season as well, as this is the plan for Opening Day. One additional difference in the 2021 Spring Training to previous years was the difference in the number of players that could report per team. Due to Covid-19, only MLB and Triple-A players were allowed to report. Once they leave to start their own seasons, then Double-A and Single-A players will be allowed to start training.
So how did your favorite team play this Spring Training? Starting with the Cactus League, the Chicago Cubs and the Kansas City Royals are currently tied for first place with 13 wins and 7 losses a piece. The rest of the teams range from one game behind all the way to eight games behind, with the Cincinnati Reds coming in last. In the Grapefruit League, the standings are a little more complex. The Miami Marlins are technically in first place, but with only playing 15 games total, the real team on the leaderboard is the Toronto Blue Jays. Their record is impressive with 14 wins and 8 losses. Other hometown favorites are sprinkled in the middle of the standings, including the New York Yankees who are currently in third place and the New York Mets who are tied for fifth. The Philadelphia Phillies are in tenth place and in last place falls the Houston Astros. Many fans will be happy about these results as the Astros are still receiving heat from their World Series cheating scandal back in 2019.
Opening Day is fast approaching and fans across the country are ready for a full season of baseball. This year, all teams are expected to play the full 162 game season. All 30 MLB teams will be playing on April 1st which makes for some exciting matchups. The New York Yankees will be sending Gerrit Cole onto the mound against the Toronto Blue Jays and the New York Mets will be traveling to Washington D.C. to face the Nationals. Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom will be facing Washington pitcher Max Scherzer in one of the best pitching matchups of the season. Finally, the Philadelphia Phillies will be starting their season off at home against the Chicago Cubs.
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