Major League Baseball has delayed its Opening Day on March 31 after the owners and players’ union failed to reach an agreement before MLB’s 5 p.m. EST deadline.
The league previously threatened to push back its Opening Day without a new collective bargaining agreement, and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed that decision Tuesday afternoon.
As a direct result of the failed talks, MLB will lose regular season games over a labor dispute for the first time in 27 years. The league’s schedule will drop from 162 games to likely 156 games at most.
Manfred said the league and union haven’t made plans for future negotiations. MLB previously stated that players won’t be compensated for missed games.
In a statement, the MLB Players Association said it is “not surprised” by the outcome.