MiLB president/CEO: Opening Night will be worth wait

Dear Minor League Baseball fans,

For many of us, Opening Night is one of our favorite days of the year, and we count down the days with great anticipation until its arrival.

Seeing the perfectly manicured grass, hearing the crack of the bat, catching a whiff of hot dogs and enjoying a beer at the ballpark for the first time each season means the boys of summer are back.

While I'm as excited for the start of baseball season as many of you are, this year, things are different. A global pandemic has brought the sports world to a screeching halt, and many of us face challenges we never dreamed of before now.

Baseball will be back as soon as it's safe for us to gather again. And when it does return, it will be that much more special to all of us who have missed it dearly. While we wait for baseball's return, we all need to do our part to ensure the safety of our families, friends and neighbors.

Please continue to follow the direction and advice of public health experts and agencies and adhere to the federal guidelines that have been established as we collectively battle the coronavirus. We all need to do our part.

I'm incredibly proud of the work being done by so many of our Minor League Baseball teams across the country in response to this pandemic, and the love and support shown for our communities has been so inspiring. Whether it is preparing meals for school-aged children in need, delivering necessities to the elderly or collecting and donating supplies, Minor League Baseball's charitable endeavors never cease to amaze me.

While we won't be able to gather at the ballpark for Opening Night this year, I encourage you to visit MiLB.TV to relive the countless memories made during the 2019 season. Until the start of the 2020 season, you can watch any of the 6,500+ games that were streamed on MiLB.TV in 2019, free of charge. This includes several league All-Star Games and playoff games, the Triple-A National Championship Game and all Triple-A and Double-A games.

Additionally, fans are encouraged to stay close to Minor League Baseball by following our social media accounts, visiting MiLB.com, our team websites and tuning into The Show Before The Show podcast for great content now and throughout the summer months.

In times like these, baseball has always shown a great power to heal, and we expect that to be the case again following this trying time in our nation's history. Once it is safe, baseball will be back, and we can't wait to see you at the ballpark.

Be safe,

Pat O'Conner
President & CEO
Minor League Baseball