The 2026 World Series begins on Friday, with the Milwaukee Brewers hosting the Tampa Bay Rays. But before we get back to baseball on the field, let’s take the temperature of the room regarding the looming labor fight.
The collective bargaining agreement expires on December 1 at 8:59 p.m. PT, after which MLB owners will lock out the players.
Three times previously a labor stoppage has caused the postponement of the start of an MLB season:
1972 strike
This moved opening day from April 5 to April 15. None of the lost games were made up, and one ancillary result gave the Detroit Tigers the American League East crown at 86-70, a half-game better than the 85-70 Boston Red Sox, who played one fewer contest. In fairness, these two teams played one another in the final series of the regular season. Boston went into the final game of the season up a half-game playing the Tigers at home, plus lost 4-1 in what was essentially a playoff game for the division.
1994-95 strike
After the previous season ended on August 12 and the World Series was cancelled for the first time in 91 years, it took an injunction from United States District Court to get a deal done on April 2, 1995. Opening day was moved to April 25, about three weeks later than previously planned. Teams in 1995 played 144 games instead of the normal 162. Even with the reduced schedule, a stacked Cleveland team still won 100 games.
2021-22 lockout
As soon as the previous collective bargaining agreement expired, MLB owners locked out the players, and it took until March 10 for a new CBA to be reached. MLB originally canceledthe first two weeks of games, but after the agreement was reached, opening day was pushed back one week, from March 31to April 7. To get in a full 162 games, teams made up the difference by adding a week to the back end of the regular season schedule and mixing in some doubleheaders throughout the season to reclaim the other lost week of games.
Opening day in 2027 for now is scheduled for Thursday, March 25. Today’s question is on what date do you think the next regular season Major League Baseball game will be played?
Let us know in the comments below. We’ll check back in about five weeks to see how we all feel closer to the lockout.