Some News On The 2013 MLB Schedule

[philliesfiend55]

While official announcements of the following season's schedule usually come out around September 20 of each year there was a post on a Phillies website that indicates that a few details of the 2013 schedule have already been leaked.
What I got from the post was:

A single Sunday Night game for ESPN - TV (teams yet to be determined - they will move one of the games scheduled for Monday or Tuesday to Sunday) for Sunday Night, March 31 will open the season.
Openers of the other 28 teams will be split between April 1 & 2.
Phillies season opener is at Atlanta on Tues. 4/2.
Phillies Home opener Vs. Kansas City will be on Friday April 5. (Yes the era of two 15 team leagues wih daily interleague play has truly arrived).
All MLB teams play season finales on Sunday, Sept. 29. (They've gone back to the traditional schedule of the season ending on a Sunday rather than at mid-week). Sept. 29 would be a relatively early end date of the regular season and that indicates that even if the World Series went to a Game 7, The WS should be over by Oct 27 to Oct 29 and not stretch into the colder weather of November.

Can anybody confirm this information?

[Rich the Giants fan]

I wonder which two teams get to play interleague games on the final day of the season. Oooh, I'm so so soooooo excited for that!

[Ben Grimm]

Looks like teams will play up to 21 IL games in 2013. The most played by a team this year was 18, so I'm sure Bud's really smiling.

[m8644]

While official announcements of the following season's schedule usually come out around September 20 of each year there was a post on a Phillies website that indicates that a few details of the 2013 schedule have already been leaked.
What I got from the post was:

A single Sunday Night game for ESPN - TV (teams yet to be determined) for Sunday Night, March 31 will open the season.
Openers of the other 28 teams will be split between April 1 & 2.
Phillies season opener is at Atlanta on Tues. 4/2.
Phillies Home opener Vs. Kansas City will be on Friday April 5. (Yes the era of two 15 team leagues wih daily interleague play has truly arrived).
All MLB teams play season finales on Sunday, Sept. 29. (They've gone back to the traditional schedule of the season ending on a Sunday rather thanat mid-week). Sept. 29 would be a relatively early end date of the regular season and that indicates that the World Series could be over by Oct 27 to Oct 30 and not stretch into the colder weather of November.

Can anybody confirm this information?

The Phillies opening up their home season against the Royals makes me cry. (and I'm a Mets fan)

Thanks Bud!!!!!!!

[UnderPressure]

It is always a good thing when the first week of the regular season is in the first week of April and the end of the regular season is before October.

[philliesfiend55]

I wonder which two teams get to play interleague games on the final day of the season. Oooh, I'm so so soooooo excited for that!

I think that the plan is to have one Interlague game on some days and three interleague games on others. A couple of posters have mentioned that they think every team will play 21 interleague games next year as opposed to the current system where some teams played 15 IL games in a season while other teams played 18 IL games. Some fans might not like the increase in IL games but at least the #of IL games will be uniform.

[ol' aches and pains]

I wonder which two teams get to play interleague games on the final day of the season. Oooh, I'm so so soooooo excited for that!

The Houston Astros and Milwaukee Brewers, of course.

[philliesfiend55]

The Phillies opening up their home season against the Royals makes me cry. (and I'm a Mets fan)

I agree it's a strange way to open a home schedule. The Phillies first World Series victory did come at the expense of the Royals in 1980, but otherwise there's not much of a connection between the two teams or the two cities.

[Rich the Giants fan]

The Phillies opening up their home season against the Royals makes me cry. (and I'm a Mets fan)

Thanks Bud!!!!!!!

Ain't everyday Interleague play just grand? Aren't we so glad the Astros are moving to the AL?

[Rich the Giants fan]

I think that the plan is to have one Interlague game on some days and three interleague games on others. A couple of posters have mentioned that they think every team will play 21 interleague games next year as opposed to the current system where some teams played 15 IL games in a season while other teams played 18 IL games. Some fans might not like the increase in IL games but at least the #of IL games will be uniform.

On any day where every team plays, there will necessarily have to be an Interleague play game. Every team typically plays on every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. That means every weekend of the year, and many weekdays as well, there will be IL play, guaranteed. Since the season will end on a Sunday next year, that means at least two teams will be playing IL play games the final weekend of the year, potentially with a playoff spot on the line.

[Rich the Giants fan]

I agree it's a strange way to open a home schedule. The Phillies first World Series victory did come at the expense of the Royals in 1980, but otherwise there's not much of a connection between the two teams or the two cities.

Get used to it, it's going to happen more and more often.

[drdg]

interleague play is NOT everyday

While official announcements of the following season's schedule usually come out around September 20 of each year there was a post on a Phillies website that indicates that a few details of the 2013 schedule have already been leaked.
What I got from the post was:

A single Sunday Night game for ESPN - TV (teams yet to be determined - they will move one of the games scheduled for Monday or Tuesday to Sunday) for Sunday Night, March 31 will open the season.
Openers of the other 28 teams will be split between April 1 & 2.
Phillies season opener is at Atlanta on Tues. 4/2.
Phillies Home opener Vs. Kansas City will be on Friday April 5.

Yes the era of two 15 team leagues wih daily interleague play has truly arrived.

All MLB teams play season finales on Sunday, Sept. 29. (They've gone back to the traditional schedule of the season ending on a Sunday rather than at mid-week). Sept. 29 would be a relatively early end date of the regular season and that indicates that even if the World Series went to a Game 7, The WS should be over by Oct 27 to Oct 29 and not stretch into the colder weather of November.

Can anybody confirm this information?

I can confirm that all that you mention could be true
except for the everyday interleague game

MLB has stated repeatly that there will NOT be any interleague play in the
least 3 weeks of the season, those games will all be interdivision in the same league
right now the mlbpa contract with mlb from 2012 to 2016
calls for no more than 21 interleague games a season
that is JUST 3 more than the 15 to 18 games that most teams play now

what will happen as presently written in the players contract (article V section c) is that
there will be doubleheaders, not DHer like we know of now between 2 teams
more like 3 teams doubleheaders played by a team no more than 3 times in a season

for example: say the (1)dodgers are at home on a sunday playing the (2) ny mets at 1pm
that game can not go beyond 5pm
at or before 5pm the dodgers will get on a bus, train or chapter airplane for a trip to a nearby city
in this case BUS to (3)San Diego for a 8pm game,
this could happen NO more than 3 times for each team

the two teams with power to differ the game or start time are the cubs and the red sox
for they both have night game or time ending limits set by the city

source:

http://mlb.mlb.com/pa/pdf/cba_english.pdf

[milladrive]

The Houston Astros and Milwaukee Brewers, of course.

LOL... Very good!! (At least someone caught that one. *wink*)

I can confirm that all that you mention could be true
except for the everyday interleague game

MLB has stated repeatly that there will NOT be any interleague play in the
least 3 weeks of the season, those games will all be interdivision in the same league
right now the mlbpa contract with mlb from 2012 to 2016
calls for no more than 21 interleague games a season
that is JUST 3 more than the 15 to 18 games that most teams play now

what will happen as presently written in the players contract (article V section c) is that
there will be doubleheaders, not DHer like we know of now between 2 teams
more like 3 teams doubleheaders played by a team no more than 3 times in a season

for example: say the (1)dodgers are at home on a sunday playing the (2) ny mets at 1pm
that game can not go beyond 5pm
at or before 5pm the dodgers will get on a bus, train or chapter airplane for a trip to a nearby city
in this case BUS to (3)San Diego for a 8pm game,
this could happen NO more than 3 times for each team

the two teams with power to differ the game or start time are the cubs and the red sox
for they both have night game or time ending limits set by the city

source:
http://mlb.mlb.com/pa/pdf/cba_english.pdf

I've read the words, and I've seen the example, but, call me dumb; I'm still confused. With an odd number of teams in both leagues, how can it be possible to go a whole three weeks without at least one IL series going on? I mean, it seems only logical to me that, even if two teams from each league have a day off and there are 28 active teams playing within each league, what happens the following day when those two teams from different leagues have games to play? How can that mathematically go on for three weeks (much less a single series)?

[RaysFan_98]

LOL... Very good!! (At least someone caught that one. *wink*)



I've read the words, and I've seen the example, but, call me dumb; I'm still confused. With an odd number of teams in both leagues, how can it be possible to go a whole three weeks without at least one IL series going on? I mean, it seems only logical to me that, even if two teams from each league have a day off and there are 28 active teams playing within each league, what happens the following day when those two teams from different leagues have games to play? How can that mathematically go on for three weeks (much less a single series)?

Glad i wasn't the only one confuzled about this.

[Mr. Lasorda]

This is absurd.