MLB Announces Key Dates for 2026 Season, Including Earliest Traditional Opener

The San Francisco Giants will host the New York Yankees to start Major League Baseball’s season on March 25, the earliest opening day other than international games.

MLB said Tuesday the other 28 teams open the following day, with Kansas City at Atlanta, Minnesota at Baltimore, Washington at the Chicago Cubs, Boston at Cincinnati, the Los Angeles Angels at Houston, Arizona at the Los Angeles Dodgers, Colorado at Miami. the Chicago White Sox at Milwaukee, Pittsburgh at the New York Mets, Texas at Philadelphia, Tampa Bay at St. Louis, Detroit at San Diego, Cleveland at Seattle and the Athletics at Toronto.

San Francisco started the 2023 season at the Yankees. Other than international games, the previous earliest openers were this year on March 27.

Five games are scheduled for March 27 next season and all 30 teams are to play the following day.

The final day of the regular season is scheduled for Sept. 27, the earliest since 2020.

In their second of three seasons playing most home games in West Sacramento, California, the Athletics will host consecutive three-game series at the Triple-A Las Vegas Ballpark against Milwaukee and Colorado from June 8-14. The A’s, who played in Oakland from 1968-24, hope to move into a new Las Vegas stadium in 2028.

Plans are not yet finalized for a Phillies-Twins game at Dyersville, Iowa, during Aug. 13-16 and for a two-game Padres-Diamondbacks series at Mexico City on April 25-26. The Field of Dreams, site of the 1989 movie, hosted the Yankees and White Sox in 2021, and the Cubs and Reds the following year before closing for renovations.

A contemplated Yankees-Blue Jays series at London in June likely won’t take place because of scheduling issues caused by West Ham being home for its Premier League final match on May 24, delaying when Olympic Stadium would be available for conversion to baseball.

While regular-season games were to be played in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in September 2025 and 2026, according to the collective bargaining agreement, none were scheduled for this season and none have been announced for next year.

MLB scheduled a rivalry weekend for May 17-19, featuring Dodgers at Angels, Boston at Atlanta, Cincinnati at Cleveland, San Francisco at Athletics, Yankees at Mets, Milwaukee at Minnesota, Kansas City at St. Louis, San Diego at Seattle, Miami at Tampa Bay, Baltimore at Washington and Cubs at White Sox. Other regional matchups that weekend include Arizona at Colorado, Toronto at Detroit, Texas at Houston and Philadelphia at Pittsburgh.

Matchups are the same as May 16-18 this year, with home teams reversed.

The All-Star Game, announced in 2019 for Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park to mark the 250th anniversary year of the Declaration of Independence, will be played July 14.

Off days were built into the schedule to accommodate World Cup matches at stadiums that share parking lots: on June 17 and July 3 at Arlington, Texas; June 20 and July 3 at Kansas City, Missouri; and June 19 and July 1 at Seattle. Because of the off day, the Mariners will host the Red Sox in a doubleheader on June 20.

The Yankees and Mets will play in the Bronx from Sept. 11-13, marking the 25th anniversary of the terrorists attacks. They played at Citi Field to mark the 20th anniversary.

In the fourth straight season of a balanced schedule, a team will play 13 games against each division rival and six or seven against each other club in its league for a total of 62. The remaining 48 games are against interleague opponents, with a single three-game series against each of the 14 other clubs in the opposite league. Teams will be home against the same interleague opponents they hosted in 2023.

The American League used a balanced schedule from 1977-2000 and the National League from 1993-2000.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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