Spring training is underway

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Spring training began on Feb. 28 and will go up until Opening Day on April 1.

Charley Lockwood-Powell, Staff Writer

2020 was a huge question mark for everyone, especially for professional athletes and fans who attended their games. The MLB (Major League Baseball) season was cut short due to COVID-19. The regular season usually consists of 162 games in a season, but was cut down to only 60 games during the 2020 season, ranging from July to October. Keep in mind that the regular season usually starts in April, with spring training beginning in late February or early March. 

After that four month break, and not knowing if the MLB was going to have a season, spring training is now underway. Spring training is where teams from all over the MLB go down to their “Spring Training Facility” to get ready for the upcoming season and play other teams while soaking up the sun. The facilities are located in either Florida or Arizona, where the teams are in the Cactus League, (Arizona) or in the Grapefruit League (Florida). On Feb. 28, 26 out of the 30 teams played their first preseason game. Limited fans were in attendance, all wearing masks while being socially distant. The facilities ranged from 9% capacity to 22%, with most teams keeping it below 20% to make sure they followed the COVID-19 protocols. On Monday, March 1, is when the other four teams played their first game of the season, as well mostly everyone else played their second. Spring training games will go on for roughly three weeks, just in time for Opening Day on April 1.

There were numerous blockbuster trades during the offseason, including third baseman Nolan Arenado. He left the Colorado Rockies and headed east to the St. Louis Cardinals. All-Star pitcher Trevor Bauer left the Cincinnati Reds and headed to the reigning champions: Los Angeles Dodgers. There are many different players that fans are excited to see play on a new team, and to see live sports for the first time in a long time. Everyone is excited to see that sports are sort of back to normal and we get to watch more live sports.