Reds won’t start season until April 7 at earliest

Major League Baseball shut down on Dec. 2 as the collective bargaining agreement between owners and players expired. This is the first work stoppage since 1994 when the World Series was canceled.

“Because it is important to have four weeks of Spring Training for players to safely prepare for the season, Opening Day of the 2022 MLB season, previously scheduled for March 31st, is being delayed,” the Cincinnati Reds announced. “The first two series have been removed from the schedule, and, pending an agreement, the season will now start with the Reds vs. Braves game in Atlanta on April 7.”

The MLBPA released its own statement that read, in part: “Players and fans around the world who love baseball are disgusted, but sadly not surprised.”

The Reds also announced the following information about tickets:

• “Fans who purchased tickets directly from the Cincinnati Reds, Reds.com or Tickets.com for games from March 31-April 6 that have been removed from the schedule have the following options:

“Option A: Do Nothing.

“Opening Day 2022: Fans holding tickets for the March 31, 2022 game vs. the Chicago Cubs may present the same ticket(s) for entry into the first home game played at Great American Ball Park in 2022. All digital tickets will be automatically updated to reflect the new game date when finalized.

“Games scheduled for April 2 – April 6, 2022: A credit will be automatically applied to your account equal to the purchase price. This credit may be applied toward the purchase of Reds tickets for any future home game. Subject to availability.

“Option B: Request a Refund for games scheduled from March 31-April 6 - Submit your refund request by visiting www.reds.com/refund.

“If fans purchased tickets from a secondary ticket provider, including StubHub, MLB’s Official Fan-to-Fan Ticket Marketplace, please reach out to them directly to explore your options. For more information visit www.reds.com or www.mlb.com/update.”