MLB announces game times for 2023 regular season schedule
Major League Baseball today announced the game times for its previously announced master 2023 regular season schedule, which will begin with all 30 Clubs scheduled to play on Opening Day presented by Chevrolet on Thursday, March 30. Opening Day of the 2023 campaign could become the first season since 1968 in which every team across the Majors plays their first game of the season on the same day.
The 15 games on Opening Day will feature nine divisional match-ups and three Interleague contests (SF @ NYY; TOR @ STL; PHI @ TEX). The World Champion Houston Astros will open their campaign against the Chicago White Sox at Minute Maid Park at 7:08 p.m. (ET)/6:08 p.m. (CT) as three-time All-Star and 2020 American League Most Valuable Player José Abreu squares off against his former team for the first time. Five games are scheduled for Friday, March 31, and a full slate of 15 games will be played on both Saturday, April 1 and Sunday, April 2.
MLB Network will have extensive coverage of Opening Day on Thursday, March 30, featuring its signature live look-ins at games in progress on MLB throughout the first week of the regular season with MLB Central_, _High Heat with Christopher Russo, MLB Now, Off Base, Intentional Talk, MLB Tonight and Quick Pitch featuring previews, highlights, analysis and interviews.
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. 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.
In a rematch of the 2022 Fall Classic, the National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies will visit the Astros for a three-game series at Minute Maid Park beginning on Friday, April 28 at 8:10 p.m. (ET)/7:10 p.m. (CT).
The 93rd All-Star Game presented by Mastercard will take place on Tuesday, July 11 at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, marking its first Midsummer Classic since 2001. A trio of split doubleheaders are featured in the 2023 schedule, including Tampa Bay Rays visiting the Boston Red Sox on Saturday, June 3 beginning at 1:10 p.m. (ET); the San Diego Padres visiting the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday July 15 beginning at 1:05 p.m. (ET); and the Colorado Rockies hosting the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday, September 26 starting at 3:10 p.m. (ET)/12:10 p.m. (PT).
The final day of the 2023 regular season will be Sunday, October 1, featuring 10 divisional match-ups, and with all 15 contests starting between 3:00-3:15 p.m. (ET).
Other highlights of the 2023 schedule include:
The opening series between the San Francisco Giants and the New York Yankees, which begins on Thursday, March 30 at 1:05 p.m. (ET), 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 15, including the Chicago Cubs visiting the Dodgers in Los Angeles at 9:10 p.m. (ET)/6:10 p.m. (PT).
The Giants and Padres will square off for a two-game set in Mexico City, Mexico beginning on Saturday, April 29 at 5:05 p.m. (ET)/4:05 p.m. (CT). Part of the MLB WORLD TOUR, the series at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú will mark the first-ever regular season games played in Mexico City, culminating with the second contest on Sunday, April 30 at 3:05 p.m. (ET)/2:05 p.m. (CT).
The Rays and the Dodgers will meet in St. Petersburg for three games beginning on Friday, May 26 at 6:40 p.m. (ET), marking the first time the Clubs match-up since the 2020 World Series.
The three-game set between the Dodgers and the Yankees beginning on Friday, June 2 at 10:10 p.m. (ET)/7:10 p.m. (PT) in Los Angeles will mark the first time the Clubs play since August 2019 (also at Dodger Stadium). In addition, the Friday contest will highlight a full slate of games as MLB celebrates its third annual Lou Gehrig Day.
As part of the MLB WORLD TOUR, the St. Louis Cardinals will meet the Cubs for a two-game series at London Stadium on Saturday, June 24 at 1:10 p.m. (ET)/6:10 p.m. (GMT) and Sunday, June 25 at 10:10 a.m. (ET)/3:10 p.m. (GMT).
All 30 Clubs will be in action on the Fourth of July, including the Cincinnati Reds visiting the Nationals in Washington, D.C. at 11:05 a.m. (ET) for the Tuesday slate.
The Phillies and the Nationals will square off at Muncy Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pennsylvania in the 2023 Little League Classic on Sunday, August 20 at 7:10 p.m. (ET).
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 beginning on Monday, August 28 at 6:40 p.m. (ET). 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 15, including the Pittsburgh Pirates hosting the Yankees at PNC Park at 6:35 p.m. (ET).
Please visit MLB.com for the complete 2023 American League and National League regular season schedules with game times. Individual Club schedules can be found at each of the respective 30 Club sites.