MLB cancels all spring training games, delays regular season

Major League Baseball announced Thursday that all forthcoming spring training games will be canceled and the start of the regular season will be delayed by at least two weeks. 

The move is designed to curb COVID-19's spread. Opening Day was scheduled for March 26. 

This will end the 2020 spring training season at Ed Smith Stadium for the Baltimore Orioles. The club, which had a road game against Minnesota scheduled for Thursday night, will end spring training with a 9-7 record. 

The Orioles announced their refund policy for fans who purchased spring training tickets:

• Season Plan Members will be automatically refunded for game tickets and parking purchased for games at Ed Smith Stadium.
• Group Tickets will be refunded to the group leader who purchased them.
• Fans who purchased individual tickets through Ticketmaster, Orioles.com, StubHub or at the Ed Smith Stadium box office will automatically receive a refund to the credit card that was originally used for purchase.
• Fans who purchased tickets through a third-party ticket vendor other than StubHub should contact that vendor regarding their specific polices for a canceled event.
• Fans who purchased tickets with cash should send the original game tickets via certified mail to:

Baltimore Orioles
Spring Training Ticket Refunds
Ed Smith Stadium
2700 12th Street
Sarasota, FL, 34237

• Fans with questions about refunds can call 893-6312 or email [email protected].

The Orioles released the following statement regarding the spring training cancelation and regular season delay: 

“The Orioles organization is fully supportive of Major League Baseball's decision to suspend spring training games and to delay the start of the 2020 regular season by at least two weeks. The health and safety of our players, fans, staff and partners will always be our top priority. We will communicate additional details, including information about refunds, directly to fans when they become available, as this is a rapidly-evolving situation. We encourage everyone to continue to follow the important guidelines established by the CDC and other public health organizations.”

This article has been updated to add information about refunds for spring training tickets at Ed Smith Stadium.