O's to open '20 in Boston as schedule unveiled
Joe Trezza
It has been 54 years since the Orioles opened their season on the road in Boston, swinging for the top of the green monster at Fenway Park on Opening Day. That is about to change.
The Orioles will open the 2020 season with a three-game series in Boston on July 24 at 7:30 p.m. ET, it was announced Monday on MLB Network. Their home opener is set for July 29 against the Marlins.
It will be the start of a truncated 60-game schedule brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, with teams matched up against their divisional opponents and National League teams in the corresponding geographical division, in an effort to reduce travel. That means the Orioles will play one-third of their schedule against Interleague opponents, with NL teams also utilizing the DH this season in a new wrinkle.
The arrangement pins the O’s against their Beltway rivals the Nationals six times, with a three-game series in D.C. from Aug. 7-9, followed by a three-game set at Camden Yards from Aug. 14-16. They also get four games against the Mets (Sept. 1-2 at home, Sept. 8-9 on road) and three apiece against the Phillies and Braves, facing NL East opponents for the first time since 2018. Their two-game trip to Miami from July 27-28 will be the second series at Marlins Park in franchise history.
Other highlights include a 10-game homestand from Aug. 14-23 against the Nationals, Blue Jays and Red Sox, and two home series against the Yankees (Aug. 3-5, Sept. 4-6). The Yankees and Rays are the only teams the Orioles play twice at home.
The schedule’s main oddity is an 11-game stretch set exclusively against New York teams, with the O’s hosting the Mets (Sept. 1-2) and Yankees (Sept. 4-6) and then traveling to Queens (Sept. 8-9) and then the Bronx (Sept. 10-13). The O's close the schedule with a six-game road trip through Boston and Toronto, with the regular-season finale set for Sept. 27 at Toronto.
Of their 2020 opponents, the Orioles played best last season against the Blue Jays, going 8-11. They fared worst against the Yankees, losing 17 of 19 contests.