The Cincinnati Reds have announced the schedule for the 2022 season that — fingers crossed — could be a normal one at Great American Ball Park.
Opening Day will happen Thursday, March 31, when the Reds take on the National League Central rivals the Chicago Cubs. If this summer’s COVID-19 spike subsides and no restrictions are in place in 2022, it would mark the first time in two years that Cincinnati would be able to celebrate full Opening Day festivities on schedule.
Cincinnati did hold Opening Day this year when the season began on April 1, but celebrations were limited since Great American Ball Park was still operating at only 30% capacity and social distancing protocols were still firmly in place. The Findlay Market Opening Day Parade also was postponed.
Later, the city attempted to stage a “Re-Opening Day” on June 2, the same day Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine lifted most of the state’s COVID-19 health orders and reinstated full capacity at all venues and events. Unfortunately, Mother Nature interrupted the fun, and the game was rained out.
Opening Day for the 2022 season, however, will be jam-packed, with all 30 teams in the league set to play, according to the Major League Baseball’s official schedule announcement. This will be the fourth time since 1968 that MLB will attempt to have every single team play a game on Opening Day, WLWT reports. Past attempts had been foiled by rain and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Cincinnati Reds will host another National League Central rival, the St. Louis Cardinals, in series on April 22-24 and July 22-24. If the Cardinals fans seem a little apathetic when they visit, it might be because Reds fans give way more importance to the competition between the teams than Cardinals fans do.
Also of note: the newly named Cleveland Guardians, Cincinnati’s in-state rivals from the American League, will visit Great American Ball Park April 12-13.
Bringing it full circle, the Reds will end the regular season the way the team began it: against the Cubs. Our favorite Redlegs will head to Wrigley Field in Chicago for a three-game series Sept. 30-Oct 1.
While officially released by MLB, the schedule remains a bit up in the air with the collective bargaining agreement between the league and the players expiring Dec. 1. If the two sides can’t find agreement for the new terms, a strike or lockout could delay the 2022 season.
Find the Cincinnati Reds’ full 2022 schedule on the team’s website.
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This article appears in Aug 5-17, 2021.
