With the health and safety of players, staff, and everyone involved in Spring Training in mind, Major League Baseball on Friday announced a revised Spring Training Schedule that limits travel and keeps teams on the same coasts for the entirety of Spring Training. As a result of the revised schedule, Cactus League teams will play 28 games in 30 days, with two days off. Grapefruit League teams will now be regionalized to limit travel.
The grapefruit league, as mentioned above, will be split into regions for Spring Training 2021. Clubs on the East Coast of Florida will play 24 games in 30 days, with six days off. East Coast teams include the Astros & Nationals (Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, WPB) Marlins & Cardinals (Roger Dean Stadium, Jupiter), and Mets (Clover Park, PSL) will now play each other exclusively. Travel for all of these teams will be under 45 minutes from park to park.
Clubs on the West Coast of Florida will be split into two groups for Spring 2021. Group one will include the Tigers (Lakeland), Yankees (Tampa), Phillies (Clearwater), and Blue Jays (Dunedin) playing each other exclusively. Group two will include the Braves (Northport), Red Sox (Jet Blue Park, Fort Myers), Twins (Hammond Stadium, Fort Myers), and Rays (Port Charlotte) all playing each other exclusively. West Coast Teams will play 28 games in 30 days with two days off. The Orioles (Sarasota) and Pirates (Bradenton) will play teams from both groups as they are more centrally located on the West coast of Florida.
At the end of March, select teams will close out their Spring in Major League ballparks beginning on Sunday, March 28, and select teams will also play on Tuesday, March 30 at their Major League home stadiums as well.
The Yankees will open their Spring Training schedule on Sunday, February 28 against the Toronto Blue Jays in Tampa. They will close out their Spring Training on March 29 against the Detroit Tigers at George M. Steinbrenner Field before heading to New York to open their 2021 regular season against the Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium.
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