Major League Baseball announced the full schedule for all 30 teams, including games times, on Thursday afternoon. The Mets, whose pitchers and catchers will report to spring training on February 17th, are scheduled to open their Grapefruit League season on February 27th, and their regular season in Washington DC on April 1st.

Printable 2021 Regular Season Schedule

Here are a few of the highlights of the 2021 spring training schedule:

The posted spring training schedule will change, as it was announced earlier this week that teams training in Florida will move to east and west coast pods, and play against only those teams on the same coast as their training sites.

Unless something changes, the Mets will not take on the Yankees and Red Sox, who train on Florida’s west coast. In addition, MLB announced that Florida teams will each play 24 exhibition games, while Arizona teams will play 28 games.

Rule changes, including the ability for a defensive team to end an inning before three outs if a pitcher has thrown 20 pitches, will be in effect for spring training games.

Key Series and Games

  • The Mets’ opener on April 1st in Washington DC will be a night game, beginning at 7:09 pm
  • After three in DC and three in Philadelphia, the Mets will return to Citi Field for their home opener against the Miami Marlins on April 8th at 1 pm. With the recent announcement that fans will be allowed at indoor venues in New York (10% capacity), and the declining coronavirus cases, there’s reason for hope that at least some fans will be able to attend.
  • The Mets will compete against the American League Eastern division for their inter-league games this year, and commence that effort against the Red Sox at Citi Field on April 27th and 28th.
  • Wrigley Field tends to be a favorite destination for Mets fans. The Mets go to Chicago April 20th-22nd for three night games. Whether fans are permitted at those games, and in what capacity, remains to be seen.
  • At this point, the Mets are scheduled for two Sunday night games, May 30th at Citi Field against the Braves and September 12th at Citi against the Yankees. That series against the Yankees will include what promises to be an emotional game for the two New York teams on September 11th, which will be the 20th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks. The Mets travel to the Bronx from July 2nd-4th.
  • Last season, all teams played regional games, and the Mets never left the eastern time zone. That will not be the case in 2021. The Mets venture to Arizona for two games June 1st and 2nd. From there, they go to Petco Park in San Diego for four games. The Mets’ second trip to the west coast comes in mid-August, when from August 16th-22nd they’ll play three games in San Francisco, followed by four games at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers and Giants visit Citi Field in August as well.
  • If you want to see teams that do not come to Citi Field regularly, in addition to the Red Sox in April, the Blue Jays (maybe Steven Matz will start a game) come to Queens July 23rd-25th, and the Orioles pay a quick visit for two games on May 11th and 12th.
  • The Mets will close the 2021 regular season in Atlanta with three games from October 1st-3rd. As has been the case for the last several years, all teams will play at 3:20 eastern time on October 3rd, the last day of the regular season.

With the moves the Mets have made this off season, Mets fans are hoping that October 3rd ends just the regular season, with an exciting post season for the guys from Flushing to follow. Another hope fans of every team have is that the season is played to completion (162 games) with few, or no, interruptions for COVID. Rigorous protocols, such as contact tracing and compliance officers, will be in place to ensure that is the case.