MLB schedule is out, and there's a twist for '23

[Fenway]

I fully expect the AL and NL will be abolished in 5 years with a massive realignment.

MLB schedule is out, and there's a twist for '23

The 2023 schedule released by Major League Baseball on Wednesday might look the same in some ways. There are still 162 games per team, spread from spring to fall, with a brief pause for the All-Star break, and October, as always, the goal. But make no mistake: The new, more

www.mlb.com

Each team will play 52 games against division opponents, decreased from 76 under the previous schedule structure.
This will include 13 games (across four total series) against each division opponent, decreased from 19 (across six series).
That’s seven home games and six away games (or vice versa) against each opponent for a total of 26 home games and 26 away games.

Each team will play 64 intraleague games (32 home games and 32 away games), decreased from 66.
Teams will play six games against six league opponents and seven games against four other league opponents. This is the reverse of the previous format, in which teams played six games against four league opponents and seven against six league opponents.

This is the biggest change, with 46 total Interleague games for each team (AL vs. NL and vice versa), an increase from 20.

Teams will play a home-and-home series (four games total) against their natural Interleague rivals (Yankees vs. Mets, Dodgers vs. Angels, Cubs vs. White Sox, etc.) and another 42 games against other Interleague opponents, including seven series (21 games) at home and seven series (21 games) on the road.

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[Quid Pro Clowe]

Good. Sick and tired of watching the A’s make 6 separate trips to Texas (central time) because the schedule makers are derelicts. They shouldn’t even be in our division, anyway.

 

[LightningStorm]

This was announced in the new CBA, so I saw this coming.

I fully expect the AL and NL will be abolished in 5 years with a massive realignment.

I can see this happening since logically, the different rules were the only reason to keep the AL & NL. Now that a universal DH exists, that reason is gone. AFC & NFC will still exist in the NFL since it's only a game a week and how their TV contracts are set up.

5 years would also give time for the A's to sort out their situation. If they leave Oakland, the Pacific division would be easy, with the 5 teams being the Mariners, Giants, Dodgers, Angels and Padres.

 

[Fenway]

This was announced in the new CBA, so I saw this coming.

I can see this happening since logically, the different rules were the only reason to keep the AL & NL. Now that a universal DH exists, that reason is gone. AFC & NFC will still exist in the NFL since it's only a game a week and how their TV contracts are set up.

5 years would also give time for the A's to sort out their situation. If they leave Oakland, the Pacific division would be easy, with the 5 teams being the Mariners, Giants, Dodgers, Angels and Padres.

I agree Oakland and Tampa have to be resolved.

I suspect Howard Terminal will get approved eventually but Tampa looks bleak.

 

[Vamos Rafa]

Why does MLB release their next season’s schedule during the current season while the other sports get theirs in the offseason?

Also, who is Seattle’s “natural” rival?

 

[Fenway]

Why does MLB release their next season’s schedule during the current season while the other sports get theirs in the offseason?

Also, who is Seattle’s “natural” rival?

San Diego

These are the MLB's natural rivals

San Diego Padres vs. Seattle Mariners​

Colorado Rockies vs. Houston Astros​

Atlanta Braves vs. Toronto Blue Jays​

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Texas Rangers​

Miami Marlins vs. Tampa Bay Rays​

Milwaukee Brewers vs. Minnesota Twins​

Detroit Tigers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates​

Baltimore Orioles vs. Washington Nationals​

Boston Red Sox vs. Philadelphia Phillies​

Cincinnati Reds vs. Cleveland Indians​

Kansas City Royals vs. St. Louis Cardinals​

Los Angeles Angels vs. Los Angeles Dodgers​

Oakland A's vs. San Francisco Giants​

New York Mets vs. New York Yankees​

Chicago Cubs vs. Chicago White Sox​

 

[Scandale du Jour]

Toronto and... Atlanta?

 

[GKJ]

San Diego

These are the MLB's natural rivals

San Diego Padres vs. Seattle Mariners​

Colorado Rockies vs. Houston Astros​

Atlanta Braves vs. Toronto Blue Jays​

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Texas Rangers​

Miami Marlins vs. Tampa Bay Rays​

Milwaukee Brewers vs. Minnesota Twins​

Detroit Tigers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates​

Baltimore Orioles vs. Washington Nationals​

Boston Red Sox vs. Philadelphia Phillies​

Cincinnati Reds vs. Cleveland Indians​

Kansas City Royals vs. St. Louis Cardinals​

Los Angeles Angels vs. Los Angeles Dodgers​

Oakland A's vs. San Francisco Giants​

New York Mets vs. New York Yankees​

Chicago Cubs vs. Chicago White Sox​

Huh? Only like half of these are any sort of natural rivals. The Red Sox NL rival is very clearly the Braves.

 

[Quid Pro Clowe]

I agree Oakland and Tampa have to be resolved.

I suspect Howard Terminal will get approved eventually but Tampa looks bleak.

Mlb and the city of Oakland are just posturing with one another until someone caves in, which will be the city. They better resolve that frivolous suit and get the project on the agenda at a board meeting soon.

 

[Goalie_Bob]

The natural rivals thing has always been a joke except for the inner-city rivalries. Pirates and Tigers are not rivals.

The natural rival for Pittsburgh is Cleveland. Or maybe even Baltimore. Though that is basically based on the NFL teams.

 

[Quid Pro Clowe]

Toronto and... Atlanta?

Always maskers vs Never maskers

 

[SwordsgoneWild]

San Diego

These are the MLB's natural rivals

San Diego Padres vs. Seattle Mariners​

Colorado Rockies vs. Houston Astros​

Atlanta Braves vs. Toronto Blue Jays​

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Texas Rangers​

Miami Marlins vs. Tampa Bay Rays​

Milwaukee Brewers vs. Minnesota Twins​

Detroit Tigers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates​

Baltimore Orioles vs. Washington Nationals​

Boston Red Sox vs. Philadelphia Phillies​

Cincinnati Reds vs. Cleveland Indians​

Kansas City Royals vs. St. Louis Cardinals​

Los Angeles Angels vs. Los Angeles Dodgers​

Oakland A's vs. San Francisco Giants​

New York Mets vs. New York Yankees​

Chicago Cubs vs. Chicago White Sox​

That list breaks my brain. Our natural rivals are... the Rockies? Huh? not Texas?

 

[No Fun Shogun]

I like hopefully having the option to visit any AL market for a Cubs game every other year, though.

 

[Scandale du Jour]

That list breaks my brain. Our natural rivals are... the Rockies? Huh? not Texas?

Texas and Houston are in the same league.

 

[Vamos Rafa]

San Diego is Seattle’s designated natural rival? Hmmm, because they’re the last major cities on the west coast before respective international borders???

 

[Cas]

I fully expect the AL and NL will be abolished in 5 years with a massive realignment.

The AL and NL have already been abolished. Their separate corporate existence ended after the 1999 season.

Functionally, the AL and NL are nothing more than geographically indistinct conferences that retain the name "league" for historical and marketing reasons, and that happened to have one major difference in playing rules for about 20 years. That difference has also been abolished and the leagues are now identical.

 

[PanthersPens62]

I like it. The natural rivals thing got messed up over the years because of different reasons, one example being Houston moving to the AL. Not sure why Boston is no longer Atlanta's natural rival, though.

As for Cleveland, they wanted "the battle of Ohio" instead of PGH/CLE since they had a harder time finding a different natural rival for Cincy.

 

[Fenway]

I like it. The natural rivals thing got messed up over the years because of different reasons, one example being Houston moving to the AL. Not sure why Boston is no longer Atlanta's natural rival, though.

After Montreal moved to Washington the Phillies became Boston's 'natural' most years but occasionally it was Atlanta.

Boston was known for attracting big crowds in Philly

Retrosheet Boxscore: Boston Red Sox 13, Philadelphia Phillies 9

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

If you look at the 2023 schedule, there are 4 Toronto-Philadelphia games so clearly MLB considers them to be ''natural rivals''.

1993 WS has a long lasting impact.

 

[Vamos Rafa]

The AL and NL have already been abolished. Their separate corporate existence ended after the 1999 season.

Functionally, the AL and NL are nothing more than geographically indistinct conferences that retain the name "league" for historical and marketing reasons, and that happened to have one major difference in playing rules for about 20 years. That difference has also been abolished and the leagues are now identical.

Maybe fans won’t be limited to “World Series Semifinals” when it comes to the two best teams in the league that happen to be in the same division. Imagine a Red Sox/Yankees or Giants/Dodgers World Series.

 

[Cas]

Maybe fans won’t be limited to “World Series Semifinals” when it comes to the two best teams in the league that happen to be in the same division. Imagine a Red Sox/Yankees or Giants/Dodgers World Series.

ESPN would love Yankees/Red Sox, but there's no way on Earth I would be willing to watch multiple seven-hour games.

 

[TheGreenTBer]

The natural rivals thing has always been a joke except for the inner-city rivalries. Pirates and Tigers are not rivals.

The natural rival for Pittsburgh is Cleveland. Or maybe even Baltimore. Though that is basically based on the NFL teams.

The Pirates' biggest rival is the Bob Nuttings.

 

[Fenway]

I do believe MLB wants to go to 32 teams in the not-too-distant future

I suspect realignment will occur then.

 

[LightningStorm]

San Diego is Seattle’s designated natural rival? Hmmm, because they’re the last major cities on the west coast before respective international borders???

With the Bay Area and LA each having 2 teams, matching them up was a given. Seattle and SD were simply the 2 leftovers on the West Coast.

If you look at the 2023 schedule, there are 4 Toronto-Philadelphia games so clearly MLB considers them to be ''natural rivals''.

1993 WS has a long lasting impact.

Before 2023, Boston/Toronto would alternate with Atlanta/Philadelphia since none of them are natural rivals. I can see why they went with the Jays/Phils and BoSox/Braves pairings though. In addition to the 1993 WS, there's the Roy Halladay connection for the Jays and Phils. Even stronger than those 2 things, the Braves first city was Boston, so they use to be crosstown rivals with the Red Sox, albeit before there was interleague play.

 

[Scandale du Jour]

I do believe MLB wants to go to 32 teams in the not-too-distant future

I suspect realignment will occur then.

Yeah and I expect a NFL style alignment of 8 divisions of 4 teams.

Maybe an NHL-like 4 divisions of 8 teams could work too.

I wonder how the playoff format would work though. In a 4 division set up, I would do top 2 from each make the playoffs. Than you have Division Series, Championship Series and World Series. They'd probably do top 4 though...