MLB lockout ends: Dodgers prepare for 2022 season
LOS ANGELES - On a day when the Los Angeles Dodgers were originally scheduled to take on the San Francisco Giants at Camelback Ranch, Dodger manager Dave Roberts shared his excitement to finally be getting ready for the 2022 MLB season.
Earlier this week, MLB and the MLB Players' Association came to an agreement, ending a nearly 100-day lockout.
Roberts told the press about the first conversations he had on the phone after a deal was reached, saying that he was "just happy that we could talk. As Trea Turner put it, it just felt like we were in time out."
Prior to the lockout, the season was scheduled to begin on March 31, but as negotiations continued, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announced two rounds of game cancellations, starting with canceling the first two series of the season on March 1, then another week of cancellations announced March 9.
A deal was reached the very next day. The season, now scheduled to start on April 7, will feature a full 162-game schedule. The previously-canceled games will reportedly be made up through double-headers throughout the season.
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"I am genuinely thrilled to be able to say that Major League Baseball is back and we're going to play 162 games," Manfred said on Thursday. "I do want to start by apologizing to our fans. I know that the last few months have been difficult. There's a lot of uncertainty, at a point in time when there's a lot of uncertainty in the world."
Roberts said he was happy that the season would be a full 162 games, but also acknowledged the difficulties associated with a shortened Spring Training, and double-headers baked into the schedule. But Roberts also said that everyone he's spoken to, including Max Muncy, should be ready for Opening Day in some capacity.
Dodgers players expressed their excitement for the start of the season on social media. Pitcher Dustin May tweeted a picture of him on the mound with the caption "We back in business." Pitcher Tony Gonsolin shared a simple message on Instagram - "Baseball is back!"
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Per MLB, the mandatory Spring Training report date for all clubs is Sunday, March 13. According to the team's website, the Dodgers' first tuneup game will be March 18 against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Dodgers will open the 2022 regular season on April 8, at Coors Field in Denver, to take on the Colorado Rockies.
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