Same-day starts in ’18
All 30 teams will begin play on the same day in 2018, Major League Baseball announced Tuesday. It is the first time that has happened since 1968.
Those games will be played on March 29, the earliest start for domestic games in history. Games have been played on March 30 several times, most recently in 2014.
The early date was motivated by new collective bargaining rules that mandate more rest time for teams. The 2018 schedule will have three or four extra days off per team.
Whether intentional or not, there are few games in outdoor stadiums in colder climes the first few days, with only Baltimore, Detroit, Cincinnati and the New York Mets hosting games.
In another departure, the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals will play a game at Wrigley Field on July 19, two days after the All-Star Game. In recent years, that date had been kept clear. The game will be played during the day and will be the only game on the schedule.
The Cubs-Cardinals game replaces the Sunday night nationally televised game that is usually played before the All-Star Game, which has been barred by the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
The All-Star Game itself will be played in Washington for the first time since 1969, when the old Senators played games at RFK Stadium.
The Minnesota Twins will play the Cleveland Indians in a two-game series in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in April. They will be the first regular-season games on the island since 2010.
The Mets will host the Cardinals on Opening Day, and the New York Yankees will play the Blue Jays in Toronto.