MLB Canceled

Opening Day

Major League Baseball has canceled Opening Day, with commissioner Rob Manfred announcing Tuesday the sport will scrap regular-season games over a labor dispute for the first time in 27 years

The acrimonious lockout talks collapsed in the hours before management's deadline

Manfred said he is canceling the first two series of the season that was set to begin March 31, dropping the schedule from 162 games to likely 156, at most

"My deepest hope is we get an agreement quickly," Manfred said. "I'm really disappointed we didn't make an agreement."

During 13 negotiating sessions over 16½ hours on Monday, the league sent the players' association a "best and final offer" on Tuesday, on the ninth straight day of negotiations

Players rejected that offer, setting the stage for MLB to follow through on its threat to nix Opening Day.

"Players want to play; everyone knows that. But the reason we are not playing is simple: A lockout is the ultimate economic weapon,"

Players rejected that offer, setting the stage for MLB to follow through "In a $10 billion industry, the owners have made a conscious decision to use this weapon against the greatest asset they have: the players. But the group won't be intimidated.on its threat to nix Opening Day.

Players would lose $20.5 million in salary for each day of the season that is canceled, according to a study by The Associated Press, and the 30 teams would lose large sums that are harder to pin down.