In a move replicating early season openers in 2018 and 2019, Major League Baseball today announced the 2020 MLB regular season will start March 26, with all 30 teams slated to take the field on Opening Day.
The 2018 season also saw the regular season launch on the last Thursday of March, but two games were postponed due to bad weather. Last season saw Oakland and Seattle open the schedule with March games in Tokyo.
Opening Day will feature 12 divisional match-ups among the 15 games, in addition to an Interleague contest between the host Tampa Bay Rays and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Seven games are scheduled for Friday, March 27, and full slates of 15 games are scheduled for both Saturday, March 28 and Sunday, March 29.
Interleague play throughout the season will feature the AL East vs. NL Central, AL Central vs. NL West and AL West vs. NL East, in addition to Interleague contests played between prime rivals. Notable series feature renewals of three recent World Series matchups, including San Francisco Giants-Detroit Tigers (May 19-20 at Oracle Park and August 4-5 at Comerica Park); Boston Red Sox-St. Louis Cardinals (June 26-28 at Fenway Park); and Giants-Kansas City Royals (August 28-30 at Oracle Park).
In addition, other highlights of the 2020 schedule include:
- The first game at Globe Life Field, the new home of the Texas Rangers, on Tuesday, March 31 against the Los Angeles Angels.
- Fourteen games scheduled for Jackie Robinson Day on Wednesday, April 15, including the Los Angeles Dodgers hosting the Cardinals at Dodger Stadium.
- The Miami Marlins will host the New York Mets in the Puerto Rico Series, a three-game set at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico from April 28-30.
- A two-game set on June 13-14 between the host Cardinals and Chicago Cubs at London Stadium, marking the city’s second consecutive season hosting MLB games.
- The Chicago Cubs will host the Red Sox for a three-game series from June 19-21, and visit Yankee Stadium for a three-game set from June 26-28. It marks Boston’s third-ever regular season series at Wrigley Field and the first since June 2012. For the Cubs, it will be their third-ever regular season road series against the Yankees and the first since April 2014.
- The Los Angeles Angels will host the Dodgers for two games on July 10-11 at Angel Stadium, marking the first time that Interleague prime rivals square off in the same market as the All-Star Game leading into the break.
- The 91st All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 14 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, its first Midsummer Classic since 1980.
- The Dodgers will host their NL West-rival Giants in the only Major League game played on Thursday, July 16, following the All-Star break.
- Mike Trout and the Angels will visit Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park for a three-game series immediately after the All-Star break from July 17-19. The series will mark Trout’s second trip to Philadelphia near his hometown of Millville, NJ, following a two-game set in May 2014. In addition, it will be the fourth time the two All-Stars, who are linked by their respective Rookie of the Year-winning seasons in 2012, square off in their careers, following a three-game set in Washington in April 2014 and a pair of two-game sets in Anaheim and Washington in July and August 2017.
- The recently announced “MLB at Field of Dreams” game on Thursday, August 13 between the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees. Part of the GEICO Summer Series, the historic game will be the first Major League game ever played in Iowa.
- The fourth Little League Classic is set for Sunday, August 23, featuring the host Baltimore Orioles and the Red Sox at Historic Bowman Field in Williamsport, PA, home of the Little League World Series.
- The final day of the 2020 regular season on Sunday, September 27, featuring 12 divisional games.
Based on this schedule, we can also work back to see determine spring-training dates as well. You can expect a day off on March 25, most teams wrapping up Florida and Arizona games on March 22, and a beginning of spring-training games on Feb. 21 or so. You can also expect the annual Toronto Blue Jays series in Montreal on March 23-24.