DETROIT – The first two series of the Major League Baseball regular season have been canceled, and that means the Detroit Tigers won’t take trips to Seattle or Oakland this year.
On Tuesday afternoon (March 1), MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announced that the league is canceling regular-season games due to a league-imposed deadline that comes during a league-imposed lockout.
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MLB has made it clear those games have been canceled -- not postponed -- and won’t be made up. The players will not be paid for those games.
READ: For Detroit Tigers fans, timing of MLB lockout couldn’t be more frustrating
The Tigers were scheduled to play their first seven games on the West Coast -- four against the Seattle Mariners from March 31 to April 3 and three against the Oakland Athletics from April 4-6.
Since the Mariners and Athletics are both in the American League West Division, the Tigers only play two series against them each season -- one at home and one on the road. Barring a restructuring of the entire schedule, Detroit won’t make trips to those cities in 2022.
The new-look Tigers are coming off a surprisingly strong season, going 68-61 in their final 129 games after a rough first six weeks.
In addition to the free agent signings of starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez and shortstop Javier Baez, the Tigers are likely to see the debuts of mega prospects Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson at some point this season.
General manager Al Avila also traded for Cincinnati Reds catcher Tucker Barnhart to improve the Tigers defensively and at the plate.
But it might be awhile before fans finally get to see Baez, Rodriguez, Barnhart and the prospects wearing the Old English D. The owners and players still appear to be far apart on a deal, and more games could ultimately be canceled.
After the cancelations, Detroit’s first game is scheduled for April 8 against the Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park.
