MLB announces 2023 regular season schedule
Major League Baseball today announced its master 2023 regular season schedule, which will begin with all 30 Clubs scheduled to play on Opening Day presented by Chevrolet on Thursday, March 30th. The 2023 season will mark the first to feature a balanced schedule for all 30 Clubs across the Majors since Interleague play was introduced in 1997.
The 15 games on Opening Day will feature nine divisional match-ups and three Interleague contests (SF @ NYY; TOR @ STL; PHI @ TEX). Five games are scheduled for Friday, March 31st, and a full slate of 15 games will be played on both Saturday, April 1st and Sunday, April 2nd.
Specific features of the new balanced schedule include:
Division Games: 52 total games against divisional opponents (decreased from 76).
13 games (four total series) against each divisional opponent (decreased from 19 games across six series), including seven home games and six away games (or vice versa) for a total of 26 home games and 26 away games.
Intraleague Games: 64 total games (32 home games and 32 away games) against non-divisional league opponents (decreased from 66).
Clubs will play six games against six league opponents, and seven games against four league opponents (previously format was reversed with six games against four league opponents, and seven games against six league opponents).
Interleague Games: 46 total games against Interleague opponents (increased from 20).
Clubs will play a home and home series against their natural rivals (four games total).
Clubs will play 42 games against other Interleague opponents, including seven series (21 games) at home and seven series (21 games) on the road.
“The new balanced schedule will feature all 30 Clubs playing each other for at least one series in 2023,” said MLB Chief Operations & Strategy Officer Chris Marinak. “This new format creates more consistent opponent matchups as Clubs compete for Postseason berths, particularly in the recently expanded Wild Card round. Additionally, this fan-friendly format provides fans with the opportunity to see more opponent matchups, with a particular focus on dramatically expanding our most exciting Interleague matchups, and offers more national exposure to the star players throughout our game.”
The 93rd All-Star Game presented by Mastercard will take place on Tuesday, July 11th at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, marking its first Midsummer Classic since 2001. A pair of split doubleheaders are featured in the 2023 schedule, including the San Diego Padres visiting the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday July 15th, and the Colorado Rockies hosting the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday, September 26th. The final day of the 2023 regular season will be Sunday, October 1st, featuring 10 divisional match-ups.
Other highlights of the 2023 schedule include:
The opening series between the San Francisco Giants and the New York Yankees will mark the first time the Clubs have squared off at Yankee Stadium since July 2016.
A full slate of 15 games is scheduled for Jackie Robinson Day on Saturday, April 15th, including the Chicago Cubs visiting the Dodgers in Los Angeles.
The Tampa Bay Rays and the Dodgers will meet in St. Petersburg for three games from May 26th-28th, marking the first time the Clubs match-up since the 2020 World Series.
The three-game set between the Dodgers and the Yankees from June 2nd-4th in Los Angeles will mark the first time the Clubs play since August 2019 (also at Dodger Stadium). In addition, the contest on Friday, June 2nd will highlight a full slate of games as MLB celebrates its third annual Lou Gehrig Day.
As announced earlier this month, the St. Louis Cardinals will meet the Cubs for a two-game series at London Stadium on June 24th-25th, part of the MLB WORLD TOUR, an historic slate of games that will bring MLB teams and players to the league’s global fan base over the next four seasons.
All 30 Clubs will be in action on the Fourth of July, including the Cincinnati Reds visiting the Nationals in Washington, D.C. for the Tuesday slate.
The Philadelphia Phillies and the Washington Nationals will square off at Muncy Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pennsylvania in the 2023 Little League Classic on Sunday, August 20th.
For a second consecutive season, Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels will visit Bryce Harper and the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park for a three-game series from August 28th-30th. The series will mark Trout’s third trip to Philadelphia near his hometown of Millville, NJ (also May 2014). In addition, it will be just the fifth time the two All-Stars, who are linked by their respective Rookie of the Year-winning seasons in 2012, square off in their careers.
All 30 Clubs will play on Roberto Clemente Day on Friday, September 15th, including the Pittsburgh Pirates hosting the Yankees at PNC Park.