This is for the baseball fans out there…It’s finally our time to shine! Baseball is back!
Baseball fans can finally rejoice, as Opening Day will be on April 7th. Eighteen teams will get their chance to play on Thursday, including the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals.
This Opening Day will be one to remember. The season has been up in the air these past few months, with worries of not playing any games at all.
The MLB announced in March, the end of the 99-day baseball lockout. After three long months of constant back and forth talks with the MLB, the Players Association was finally able to strike a deal. Although baseball still won’t be starting on time, baseball fans do have a few new things to look forward to.
The new deal comes with a fan favorite change. A designated hitter will be able to bat in the lineup instead of the pitcher, and, doubleheaders will go back to full nine-inning games. With this change, the MLB and fans across the world are hoping to see more bat-on-ball action!
Post-season play will also be including more teams and, most importantly, the league is removing its threat to take away regular-season games, allowing a full 162-game season.
As a Chicago Cubs fan myself, I can not wait for the start of the season. The Cubs open up with a home-field advantage playing one of their rivals, the Milwaukee Brewers, at Wrigley Field. After the four-game homestand, they head to Pitsburg to play the Pirates.
This season is the first time the Cubs will open without their 2016 World Series stars, Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, and Javier Baez. Only time will tell what’s next for this team, but with upcoming stars like Nico Hoerner and Nick Madrigal, I think they will fare just fine.
Fans can be certain there will be a lot of baseball games to watch on TV in the coming days.
ISU students…get ready for the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals fan rivalry to come back out in full swing. And, if anyone is going to a Cubs game this summer…I will see you there!