Last year, the pandemic led to the MLB season grinding to a halt, shutting down spring training and delaying the opening day until late July. Teams played out a 60 game season before taking part in an expanded post-season featuring sixteen teams. A year on, and with the pandemic still persisting, the 2021 MLB season will also be affected by restrictions.
While there will likely be restrictions on whether fans can attend games and health and safety protocols, the season is expected to begin as normal. The league and the players association didn’t agree on a delay to the season, which means that spring training will be taking place as usual.
2021 Spring Training
Spring training began on February 2021, and while capacity restrictions applied, a limited number of fans have been able to attend and watch their teams play. The exact restrictions will depend on the team and where they’re playing, so fans need to check before trying to get tickets. Still, MLB teams will at least get to play in front of cheering spectators for the first time in almost a year.
New rules applied through spring training, including the option for managers to decide how many innings to play. Managers were able to choose between five, seven, or nine innings of any game they played. On top of this, a mercy rule was established, allowing the pitching team to stop any half-inning after a pitcher had thrown at least twenty pitches. Pitchers were also allowed to exit a game before returning later on.
Spring Training is also covered by most sportsbooks, allowing you to place bets on most games, Take a look at some of the spring training picks or wait until Opening Day before placing your first MLB bets of the year.
Opening Day
The Opening Day of the MLB 2021 season is scheduled for Thursday, April 1. All thirty teams will be in action, and fans will be able to watch and enjoy regular baseball once more. Opening Day will include a total of fifteen games which will consist of three inter-league matches alongside the divisional games.
Opening Day sees the Dodgers begin their World Series title defense against the Rockies as well as the Blue Jays vs the Yankees, Braves vs Phillies, Cardinals vs Reds, Mets vs Nationals, and many more. You can find Opening Day picks and place your bets on who you think will come out on top on the first day of the season.
Right now, some of the top MLB Opening Day moneyline picks include:
Los Angeles Dodgers (-300) at Colorado Rockies (+230)
This is the biggest mismatch on opening day, with the Dodgers heavy favorites to win and favorites to win the title at the end of the season too. The Dodgers should have this one against the Rockies, even with the underrated German Marquez pitching.
Toronto Blue Jays (+135) at New York Yankees (-165)
The Blue Jays managed to make the expanded post-season last year and will be looking to continue their improvements as they take on the Yankees. While the Yankees are by far the bigger side, you can’t count out the Blue Jays here, especially with Hyun-Jin Ryu taking the mound.
Minnesota Twins (-150) at Milwaukee Brewers (+120)
This is an inter-league game between two teams that made the 2020 playoffs. Both teams will be looking to reach the playoffs once more, and this game will be a good test to see where they’re at. The twins are the favorites, but it’s hard to ignore the quality of the Brewers.
Don’t forget to check out the end-of-season bets too, Dodgers are currently the favourites to win the World Series and retain their title at +350. They’re also favorites to win the MLB National League at +170.
