ATLANTA — The Cincinnati Reds season opener against the World Series champion Atlanta Braves will be televised nationally by ESPN2 Thursday.
Coming off their first title since 1995, the Braves will raise their championship banner before the game, which will be pushed back slightly from its intended 7:20 p.m. EDT start.
ESPN said Tuesday it had added the game, which was not on its original schedule.
Opening day was pushed back from March 31 on the original MLB schedule due to a 99-day management lockout that ended on March 10 and delayed the start of spring training from Feb. 16 to March 13.
This is only the third time in Reds history that the team has started the season on the road. They were originally scheduled to start at home, but with a season delay caused by the lockout, they ended up in Atlanta for Opening Day.
The Reds come home to play their first game in Cincinnati on Tuesday, April 12 against the Cleveland Guardians. The Findlay Market Opening Day Parade is set to go off at noon before the 4 p.m. start that day. Joe Burrow and Zac Taylor are scheduled to throw out the first pitch.
Most Reds games will air regionally on the Bally Sports Network.
Reds fans are torn about the start of the season: There is an excitement in the air to have baseball back after a promising 2021 season, but a fire sale of some of the team's most talented players has left a bad taste in the mouth of fans, with calls for the owner to sell the team.
