NEW YORK, NY – The 2021 Major League Baseball season got under way yesterday but it wasn’t the start that both New York teams would have hoped for. 
The Yankees lost their opener at home to the Toronto Blue Jays and the Mets had their season opener against the Washington Nationals postponed due to COVID.
Both teams are looking to make deep playoff pushes in a season where things will hopefully be getting back to normal. But Friday’s postponement for the Mets shows that we are not quite back to normal yet. Postponements in April are not uncommon. But they are usually due to those April showers that the temperate climes of the Eastern US are prone to. COVID just adds another complication to the spring baseball schedule. And postponements now will mean fewer off-days and less rest down the stretch.
Both the Yankees and Mets have off-days today and will resume play tomorrow. The Mets will be itching to show off their new $341 million toy. The Steve Cohen era started with a bang this past offseason. Now the team just needs to produce on the field. On paper, they should have no trouble competing for the NL East title.
The Yankees lost their home opener as their bats couldn’t get going. Gerrit Cole gave the Yanks a decent outing, giving up two runs in 5.1 innings. It wasn’t a $324 million start but it should have been good enough for the Yankees to swing their way to a win. But the top four batters in the Yankee lineup went a combined 1 for 18. On the bright side for the Bombers, Gary Sanchez got dirty and had two hits including a 2-run homerun in the second inning. Hopefully its a sign that Sanchez has figured things out and his train-wreck season last year was an aberration.
The Yanks will look to put the first of many in the win column tomorrow afternoon in the Bronx. The big bats will come alive at some point. The Bombers are hoping it happens this weekend. They’ve got their roster healthy right now and need to make hay while the sun shines. It was great to see fans in the stands at Yankee Stadium yesterday, even if attendance was well short of a typical opening day due to capacity restrictions. Nonetheless it is a sign that things are getting back to normal.
Fingers crossed, by October we should see packed houses in the Bronx and Queens.
