Dodgers to play host to Yankees in 2019
Pujols will make his first trip to St. Louis as a visitor. Angels also to play at Wrigley.
The New York Yankees visit Dodger Stadium next year, and Albert Pujols visits St. Louis.
Those are among the highlights of the 2019 schedule, announced Wednesday by Major League Baseball. The 2019 season starts March 28, the earliest opening day ever (not counting occasional international openers that involve two teams rather than all teams, including next season’s Japan opener between the Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners).
The Dodgers open at home against the Arizona Diamondbacks and close against the Giants in San Francisco.
The Yankees play at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 23-25, and the Dodgers play the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on July 12-14.
The Dodgers and Angels play June 10-11 at Anaheim and July 23-24 in Los Angeles.
The Dodgers also play interleague series against the Tampa Bay Rays (home and away), the Baltimore Orioles (away) and the Toronto Blue Jays (home).
The Angels open in Oakland against the Athletics and close at home against the Houston Astros.
They will play the Astros in Monterrey, Mexico, on May 4-5. The Angels gave up two weekend home games, but the Astros are not a top draw in Anaheim.
The Angels’ interleague schedule is highlighted by a visit to Chicago’s Wrigley Field, for an April 12-14 series against the Cubs, and by a June 21-23 series against the St. Louis Cardinals that would mark Pujols’ first games at Busch Stadium as a visiting player.
The Angels also play interleague series against the Cincinnati Reds (home and away), Milwaukee Brewers (home) and Pittsburgh Pirates (home).
In Pujols’ 11 years in St. Louis, the Cardinals won the World Series twice, and Pujols won the National League MVP award three times.
In 2011, he spurned the Cardinals to sign a $240-million contract with the Angels. In 2015, he said he would not expect the St. Louis fans to boo him.
“I’d be shocked if they do it,” Pujols said then. “If they do it, then I understand. There’s nothing that I can do. But I would be really surprised if that happens.”