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On behalf of our clubs, the players and all of us at Major League Baseball, welcome to a very special opening day. This spring provides a time to celebrate hope – not just for our favorite teams, but for our society as we emerge from a difficult year full of hardship and suffering. We express our gratitude for the sacrifices of the countless heroes who have helped bring us here.
We are delighted to be heading into the 2021 season, with new rivalries and young superstars having a significant impact on our game. But, most important of all, we are delighted to welcome the fans back to our 30 fields. ball. Baseball fans bring so much energy to the park, and our game is so much better with that passion in the stands. We hope that hearing the sounds of a ball game in person is a big step towards a 2021 that looks and feels closer to normal.
On the pitch, I look forward to seeing the incredible stars of our sport play the game at a remarkably high level. From veteran MVP-caliber players like Mike Trout and Mookie Betts, to young stars like Fernando Tatis Jr., Juan Soto and Ronald Acuña Jr., to name a few, our fans will be watching exceptional athletes to be remembered. for generations. With storylines everywhere for our fans – a brand new rivalry in Southern California, the star power of NL East, the return of Trey Mancini, the excitement of Shohei Ohtani, the pursuits for 3000 by Miguel Cabrera and Max Scherzer. , and the many The All-Stars make their debut with new teams – now is the perfect time for baseball.
Off the field, baseball has demonstrated its commitment to seizing the opportunity to meet the challenges caused by the pandemic. MLB, our clubs and our players have worked hand in hand with communities in need across the country. We’ve helped increase the testing capacity of the public, provided more than $ 75 million to local service organizations, and made more than 20,000 free COVID-19 tests available to schools, youth academies, charities and more. other community organizations. Once vaccines were available, 11 of our clubs opened their ball parks to serve as mass vaccination sites in their communities, with over a million doses administered at our sites.
This work will continue throughout the 2021 season as we continue our fight against COVID-19. We are proud to announce that this year Major League Baseball will donate $ 1.5 million in tickets to frontline and essential workers throughout the season in recognition of their Herculean efforts. We are also delighted to mark the 25th anniversary of our partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of America by renewing our relationship, donating millions of dollars for Workforce Development and Baseball and League grant opportunities. youth softball, and raising awareness of a great organization that keeps children safe by providing a positive environment for them to learn, play and grow.
In these challenging times, the American hobby has given us something to take root and a common bond within our communities. It makes friends complete strangers. It creates memories that are shared with the people we love. More importantly, it also gives us hope – whether in the form of a late-round comeback, a pennant race, or the promise of better days after a long winter. Like last year, we also hope that our platform will provide a positive visual example of the steps needed to maintain health and safety.
I want to thank you, our fans, for supporting this game that we love for a year. Please continue to wear your masks and watch each other. I would also like to thank all the players for their commitment to the health and safety protocols developed by our medical experts which allowed us to finish spring training safely. We were able to end last year’s season thanks to the sacrifices made by our players and staff to protect each other. We know that this year will require a redoubling of those efforts and that we will need to be flexible and adapt to challenges as they arise – and we will do it together.
As we begin a new baseball season, I’m delighted to say once again:
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