SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio baseball fans who were hoping to catch the Astros or Rangers on MLB Opening Day will have to keep their gloves in storage for now after another round of unsuccessful labor negotiations this week resulted in the announcement of a delayed start to the season.
League officials on Tuesday cancelled the first two series of the season, originally set to kick off March 31, after more contract talks between MLB and the player's union collapsed, extending the current work stoppage.
But a hazy immediate future for the big leagues isn't creating as much of a damper for the hometown San Antonio Missions.
The team, a Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres, assured local fans via social media on Wednesday that the minor leagues' schedule isn't affected by the MLB stalemate, saying they "look forward to another exciting summer of baseball." They open the season against the Corpus Christi Hooks on April 8 in southeast Texas before returning to the Alamo City for a six-game homestand.
The Missions shared a similar message last week, reminding fans that there was only 50 days left until the April 12 home opener and that "the MLB lockout WILL NOT affect our season."
As far as the Missions are concerned, only players on MLB 40-man rosters are expected to be affected by the work stoppage. Any other potential ripple affects are likely to affect teams up the minor-league ladder first.