What Rob Manfred described as a potentially 'disastrous outcome' for Major League Baseball is now a reality.
MLB cancelled Opening Day and the first two series of the 2022 season Tuesday after the owners and players failed to strike a new collective bargaining agreement ahead of an MLB-imposed deadline.
And so the lockout continues. Spring training camps will open no sooner than March 8.
The Tigers were supposed to open the season March 31 at the Mariners to kick off a four-game series, followed by a three-game series at the Athletics. You can wipe those games off the slate.
They are now scheduled to open the season at home April 8 against the White Sox, but further cancellations loom with a gulf between the owners and the Players Association in negotiations on a new deal.
"Rob Manfred and MLB’s owners have cancelled the start of the season," the MLBPA said Tuesday afternoon in a statement. "Players and fans around the world who love baseball are disgusted, but sadly not surprised."
The statement adds that the players "are seeking nothing more than a fair agreement, against the backdrop of growing revenues and record profits."