Dayton Dragons to play 120-game schedule in 2021

The Dayton Dragons will open the 2021 season on the road against the Great Lakes Loons on May 4 and will play their first home game at Day Air Ballpark against the Lansing Lugnuts on May 11.

Minor League Baseball announced schedules for all 120 minor-league franchises on Thursday. The Triple-A season starts April 6. Double-A and Single-A teams will start play May 4.

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The Dragons will play a 120-game schedule with 60 home games and 60 away games. While the season starts later than normal, it extends deeper into the summer than ever with the last game scheduled for Sept. 19.

This will be the 21st season of Dragons baseball. The 2020 season was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic. There will be no all-star game in the new High A Central league, and there will be no playoffs.

All Dragons home games will start at 7:05 p.m. except Sunday games, which will start at 2:05 p.m.

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The Dragons do not yet know how many fans will be allowed to attend games. They will reach out to season-ticket holders when they know more about re-opening plans and seating capacity.

“We are very excited about the 2021 season,” Dragons President Bob Murphy said in a press release. “In the past week we have accepted the invitation to become a member of the new Professional Development League in partnership with the Cincinnati Reds and Major League Baseball; we announced our 2021 manager and coaching staff; and now we have a 2021 schedule. The prognosis for the upcoming season looks positive.

“Our next steps will be to work with the health department on stadium capacity, safe return of fans, and a game plan for all of our ticket holders. With the large number of Dragons season ticket holders, and such a great fan base, this will be a complex project that will take some time to put together. Please be patient.”