London trip highlights Cubs' 2020 schedule
Jordan Bastian
@MLBastianCHICAGO -- London is calling, but so is the Bronx.
On Monday, Major League Baseball unveiled its 2020 regular-season schedule for all 30 teams, which includes the Cubs' clash with the Cardinals in the London Series on June 13-14 next summer. That will come in the heart of a campaign that begins against Chicago's rivals to the north and features Interleague games against teams from the American League East.
The Cubs will open the 2020 tour on March 26 against the Brewers for a three-game set at Miller Park. The North Siders will then host the Pirates for their home-opening series from March 30-April 1 at Wrigley Field. It will mark the fifth year in a row (and 15th time in 19 seasons) that the Cubs begin on the road. The Cubs and Brewers, however, have not faced each other on Opening Day since 2008 in Chicago.
While no official game times have been announced, the Cubs are planning on having 6:40 p.m. CT start times for weeknight home games before Memorial Day and after Labor Day next season. That would currently impact 10 games on the schedule between March, April, May and September.
The Cubs will take a trip down the Red Line to face the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field on July 7-8, and then will host their in-city rival on July 20-21 at the Friendly Confines.
Chicago's Interleague slate will include a pair of series against the Orioles (April 14-15 in Baltimore and June 2-3 in Chicago). The Cubs will also host the Rays (July 3-5) and Red Sox (June 19-21). For the first time since 2014, Chicago will face New York at Yankee Stadium (June 26-28) and take on the Blue Jays north of the border (Aug. 14-16).
The trip to London will mark the Cubs' first games overseas since opening the 2000 season against the Mets in Tokyo. That trip to England will cap off a three-city, 11-day journey that will also include stops in Cincinnati (June 4-7) and Philadelphia (June 8-10) with off-days mixed in on June 11-12 and June 15.