2021 Schedule Update: OKC Dodgers to Now Take Field Starting in May
Major League Baseball delays start of Triple-A season four weeks due to player health and safety factors
The Oklahoma City Dodgers announced Tuesday night the start of their 2021 baseball season will be delayed until May 6 after receiving word from Major League Baseball about a month-long delayed beginning across all of Triple-A baseball due to player health and safety factors.
Major League Baseball informed all 30 Triple-A teams Tuesday the 2021 season would be delayed four weeks in order to allow more time for players to become eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine prior to joining their Triple-A clubs. The delayed start also is designed to help ensure players eligible to join a Major League Club in April can be more closely monitored at each MLB team’s official alternate training site.
Oklahoma City will now open its season on the road in Round Rock May 6 and play their first home game at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark May 13 against Sacramento.
The Triple-A schedule was reduced to 120 games from its original 142-game calendar and will now include 60 home and road games for each team.
Games previously scheduled for April will not be made up, although two games have been added July 12–13 as the Dodgers picked up two additional road games in El Paso during that time.
The remainder of the schedule will remain as previously announced, and is still currently scheduled to conclude Sept. 21. The full revised OKC Dodgers’ 2021 schedule can be accessed here.
“It’s disappointing to share this news, but we know this decision was made for the right reasons,” OKC Dodgers President/General Manager Michael Byrnes said in a release.
“We are looking forward to using the extra time before Opening Day to make the return to Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark all the more special for our fans, while also being hopeful it will allow for more fans to be able to attend games.”
The 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the OKC Dodgers’ most recent game was Sept. 2, 2019 against the New Orleans Baby Cakes at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark.
When the Dodgers do return to the field in May 2021, they will compete in the newly aligned Triple-A West and participate in the East Division, playing the majority of their games against division opponents Albuquerque, El Paso, Round Rock and Triple-A newcomer Sugar Land.
In an effort to reduce travel and benefit player wellness, all series between the Dodgers and their opponents will be six games in length and the team will be idle each Wednesday.
