BOSTON -- Red Sox fans can start making their plans for Spring Training, as the club announced its 2017 Grapefruit League schedule on Friday.
Boston will open with a home game at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Fla., against the Mets on Feb. 24. There will be a soft launch to the Sox's Spring Training season the day before that, as Northeastern University comes down for an exhibition game.
• Red Sox Spring Training information
Fans will get an early taste of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry with a Feb. 28 meeting at JetBlue Park. The Red Sox travel to Tampa to play the Yankees on March 21.
There are other dates to look forward to besides the games.
The equipment truck will leave Fenway Park on Feb. 6, and pitchers and catchers will report on Feb. 12. The first pitchers/catchers workout is on Feb. 14, while the 2017 Red Sox take the field for the first time as a full squad on Feb. 17.
In all, the Sox will play 19 home games in Spring Training, 17 of them Grapefruit League contests. The last game in Florida will be a home game on March 30 against the Nationals. Boston has the option of playing a couple of exhibition games in a Major League stadium on March 31 and April 1 leading into to Opening Day at Fenway Park against the Pirates on April 3, but there's been no announcement on that yet.
Tickets for all Spring Training home games will be available at redsox.com on Dec. 3.
As always, the Red Sox will be plenty familiar with the Twins by the end of Spring Training, as Minnesota also trains in Fort Myers. The clubs will play six times, meeting for the first time on Feb. 25 -- a home game for Boston.
On March 9, the Red Sox could have the rarity of facing off against some teammates in an exhibition game against the World Baseball Classic's Team USA entry at JetBlue Park.
Two of baseball's most tradition-laden franchises play on Feb. 27, when the Cardinals come to JetBlue Park.
The Sox will have a three-day road trip to Central Florida and then the East Coast to face the Astros (West Palm Beach), Nationals (West Palm Beach) and Mets (Port St. Lucie) from March 6-8.