BOSTON, MA - AUGUST 14: A general view of the Green Monster during sunset during the third inning of a game between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees on August 14, 2022 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts.[Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images]
Red Sox 2023 schedule is unlike any in franchise history
On Wednesday, the Boston Red Sox and the rest of Major League Baseball released their 2023 schedules.
Typically, MLB schedule reveals aren’t nearly as thrilling as say, an NFL or NBA schedule [though the Philadelphia Phillies did something really cute]. With 162 games, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what will be important when teams are in the throes of the current campaign.
Still, it’s exciting to look ahead, especially when the ongoing season is so unpalatable. And for the first time in MLB history, the schedules are actually quite different. Divisional play has been reduced in order to create space in the schedule for each team to play one another at least once.
The Sox will host several intriguing, rarely-seen opponents at Fenway next year, including the Miami Marlins, New York Mets, and Los Angeles Dodgers. They’ll play in two beautiful ballparks when they go to San Diego in May and San Francisco in July. Division rivalry series will be fewer and farther between; while the Sox will open the season by hosting the Baltimore Orioles at home again, the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays don’t come to town until June, and won’t return until September. If the front office constructs a better roster this offseason, that four-game Yankees series in September might just take the Rivalry back to early aughts levels.
The only downside to this change is that between reinstating the Universal DH this year and the ongoing schedule changes, Inter-League play will lose much of its fanfare and become commonplace. Who can forget Rick Porcello’s clutch bases-clearing double in Washington DC in July 2018? And when the Sox went to Pittsburgh earlier this month, it was their first series at the stunning PNC Park since 2014. Inter-League play used to be a special occasion; going forward, it will be the norm.
OAKLAND, CA - JUNE 05: The Boston Red Sox celebrate their win against the Oakland Athletics in the ninth inning at RingCentral Coliseum on June 5, 2022 in Oakland, California. [Photo by Josie Lepe/Getty Images]
The Boston Red Sox might not be done with their [wildly frustrating] 2022 season just yet, but dates and opponents for the entirety of the 2023 season have been finalized.
It will be a ‘first’ of sorts for the Red Sox and Major League Baseball as a whole, as the 2023 season will mark the first time in league history that all 30 teams will play one another in the same season. With interleague play now a full-time thing, divisional play will take a slight hit, as the Red Sox will now play their American League East foes 13 times each [opposed to the ‘normal’ 19 times per year.]
This will probably feel like the longest season yet, too, as the season will begin in March and end in October. The good news this time around: Weather permitting, every single baseball team will be in action on Opening Day, meaning there will be no bizarre, multi-day wait for things to get started.
So when does the potential fun get underway for the 2023 Red Sox?
March/April
BOSTON, MA – JULY 28: Alex Verdugo #99, Jackie Bradley Jr. #19, and Jarren Duran #40 all hug after beating the Cleveland Guardians at Fenway Park on July 28, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. [Kathryn Riley/Getty Images]
Mar. 30 – Apr. 2: vs. Baltimore Orioles
Apr. 3 – Apr. 5: vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Apr. 6 – Apr. 9: at Detroit Tigers
Apr. 10 – Apr. 13: at Tampa Bay Rays
Apr. 14 – Apr. 17: vs. Los Angeles Angels
Apr. 18 – Apr. 20: vs. Minnesota Twins
Apr. 21 – Apr. 23: at Milwaukee Brewers
Apr. 24 – Apr. 26: at Baltimore Orioles
Apr. 28 – Apr. 30: vs. Cleveland Guardians
May
BOSTON, MA – JULY 5: Trevor Story #10 celebrates with teammate Franchy Cordero #16 of the Boston Red Sox after hitting a solo home run against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. [Kathryn Riley/Getty Images]
May 1 – May 4: vs. Toronto Blue Jays
May 5 – May 7: at Philadelphia Phillies
May 9 – May 10: at Atlanta Braves
May 12 – May 14: vs. St. Louis Cardinals
May 15 – May 17: vs. Seattle Mariners
May 19 – May 21: at San Diego Padres
May 22 – May 24: at Los Angeles Angels
May 26 – May 28: at Arizona Diamondbacks
May 30 – May 31: vs. Cincinnati Reds
June
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JULY 29: Alex Cora of the Boston Red Sox takes Brayan Bello #66 out of the game against the Milwaukee Brewers during the seventh inning at Fenway Park. [Brian Fluharty/Getty Images]
June 1: vs. Cincinnati Reds
June 2 – June 5: vs. Tampa Bay Rays
June 6 – June 8: at Cleveland Guardians
June 9 – June 11: at New York Yankees
June 12 – June 14: vs. Colorado Rockies
June 16 – June 18: vs. New York Yankees
June 19 – June 22: at Minneota Twins
June 23 – June 25: at Chicago White Sox
June 27 – June 29: vs. Miami Marlins
June 30: at Toronto Blue Jays
July
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JULY 15: Rafael Devers #11 of the Boston Red Sox sends the ball to first for the out against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on July 15, 2022. [Elsa/Getty Images]
July 1 – July 2: at Toronto Blue Jays
July 4 – July 6: vs. Texas Rangers
July 7 – July 9: vs. Oakland Athletics
July 11: 2023 All-Star Game
July 14 – July 16: at Chicago Cubs
July 17 – July 19: at Oakland Athletics
July 21 – July 23: vs. New York Mets
July 25 – July 26: vs. Atlanta Braves
July 28 – July 30: at San Francisco Giants
July 31: at Seattle Mariners
August
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – JULY 12: Chris Sale #41 of the Boston Red Sox pitches during a game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on July 12, 2022 in St Petersburg, Florida. [Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images]
Aug. 1 – Aug. 2: at Seattle Mariners
Aug. 4 – Aug. 6: vs. Toronto Blue Jays
Aug. 7 – Aug. 10: vs. Kansas City Royals
Aug. 11 – Aug. 13: vs. Detroit Tigers
Aug. 15 – Aug. 17: at Washington Nationals
Aug. 18 – Aug. 20: at New York Yankees
Aug. 21 – Aug. 24: at Houston Astros
Aug. 25 – Aug. 27: vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
Aug. 28 – Aug. 30: vs. Houston Astros
September/October
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – AUGUST 14: Rafael Devers #11 of the Boston Red Sox is pushed in a laundry cart in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run against the New York Yankees. [Brian Fluharty/Getty Images]
Sept. 1 – Sept. 3: at Kansas City Royals
Sept. 4 – Sept. 6: at Tampa Bay Rays
Sept. 8 – Sept. 10: vs. Baltimore Orioles
Sept. 11 – Sept. 14: vs. New York Yankees
Sept. 15 – Sept. 17: at Toronto Blue Jays
Sept. 18 – Sept. 20: at Texas Rangers
Sept. 22 – Sept. 24: vs. Chicago White Sox
Sept. 26 – Sept. 27: vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Sept. 28 – Oct. 1: at Baltimore Orioles
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