2021 Major League Baseball season

2021 MLB season
LeagueMajor League Baseball
SportBaseball
DurationApril 1 – November 2, 2021
Number of games162
Number of teams30
TV partner(s)Fox/FS1, TBS, ESPN/ABC, MLB Network, Sportsnet
Draft
Top draft pickHenry Davis
Picked byPittsburgh Pirates
Regular season
Season MVPAL: Shohei Ohtani (LAA)
NL: Bryce Harper (PHI)
Postseason
AL championsHouston Astros
  AL runners-upBoston Red Sox
NL championsAtlanta Braves
  NL runners-upLos Angeles Dodgers
World Series
ChampionsAtlanta Braves
  Runners-upHouston Astros
World Series MVPJorge Soler (ATL)

The 2021 Major League Baseball season began on April 1, while the regular season ended on October 3.[1] The postseason began on October 5. The World Series then began on October 26 and ended on November 2 with the Atlanta Braves defeating the Houston Astros in six games to win their second title since moving to Atlanta.

For the second consecutive year, cross-border travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic forced the Toronto Blue Jays to open their home schedule in the United States, with tenures in Dunedin, Florida,[2] and Buffalo, New York.[3] Later, the Canadian government granted an exemption to allow the Blue Jays to return to Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, beginning July 30.[4]

The 91st All-Star Game held on July 13 was supposed to be held at Truist Park, the home of the Braves, but league officials moved the game to Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies, following the passage of the Georgia Senate Bill 202 by the Georgia General Assembly, which MLB considered to be restrictive of voting rights.[5][6]

This was the final season of the Cleveland Indians competing with that nickname. On December 14, 2020, the team announced that they would unveil their new moniker and associated uniform and stadium changes before the 2022 season to replace the 106-year-old nickname.[7] On July 23, the Indians revealed that their new nickname would be the "Guardians", debuting the following season.[8]

  1. ^ "All 30 Teams Open April 1, 2021". ESPN.com. July 9, 2020. Archived from the original on July 9, 2020. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  2. ^ "Blue Jays to open home slate in Dunedin". MLB.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2021. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  3. ^ "Blue Jays announce move back to Buffalo's Sahlen Field for June 1". Sportsnet.ca. Archived from the original on May 8, 2021. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  4. ^ "Blue Jays returning to Toronto on July 30". MLB.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  5. ^ "It's Official Atlanta Awarded 2021 MLB-All Star Game". Ballparkdigest.com. May 30, 2019. Archived from the original on July 5, 2021. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  6. ^ "'21 All-Star Game, Draft moved from Atlanta". MLB.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  7. ^ "Owner Paul Dolan says Cleveland Indians to keep name through 2021 season". ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 14, 2020. Archived from the original on June 1, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  8. ^ "New for '22: Meet the Cleveland Guardians". MLB.com. Archived from the original on July 23, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2021.

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