MLB Releases 2018 Regular Season Schedule

New York Mets’ fans have been counting down the days to the end of their lost 2017 season. Today, a preview of what lays ahead for the Mets in 2018 was dropped when Major League Baseball announced the regular season schedule for next season. Here is the Mets’ full slate of opponents and dates, courtesy of MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo, although game times will be announced in the coming months.

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One interesting note is that the season starts on March 29th, a Thursday, with all 30 teams in action that day. This will not only mark the first time every team begins the season on the same day since 2011, but also establishes the earliest start to the regular season in league history (not counting international openers). The early start is part of the new collective bargaining agreement, which was designed to expand the regular season to build in more off days for the players. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights of the Mets’ 2018 schedule:

• The Mets open the season at home on Thursday, March 29th against the St. Louis Cardinals. The two teams are off Friday before resuming their three game set on Saturday, March 31st. The Mets will wrap up their initial homestand with a three game series against the Philadelphia Phillies beginning on April 2nd.
• The Mets’ first road trip begins on Thursday, April 5th in Washington. The two teams will be off on Friday before resuming the series on Saturday, April 7th. The Mets’ first trip concludes with a three game series in Miami beginning on April 9th.
• The Mets’ schedule features five road trips of at least nine or more games, three of which are 10 gamers. In comparison, the Mets only have three home stands of at least eight games or more, all of which come in the first half of the season.
• The Mets play the American League East in interleague play this year, so they will face off with the New York Yankees twice: from June 8th-10th at Citi Field and right after the All Star Break from July 20th-22nd at Yankee Stadium.
• The rest of the American League East matchups fall as follows:
  • Baltimore Orioles: 2 games at Citi Field June 5th and 6th, 2 games at Camden Yards August 14th and 15th.
  • Boston Red Sox: 3 games at Fenway Park September 14th-16th.
  • Tampa Bay Rays: 3 games at Citi Field July 6th-8th.
  • Toronto Blue Jays: 2 games at Citi Field May 15th and 16th, 2 games at Rogers Centre July 3rd and 4th.
• The Mets are away from home on the three major holidays to fall during baseball season: Memorial Day (May 28th at Atlanta), Independence Day (July 4th at Toronto), and Labor Day (September 3rd at the Dodgers).
• The Mets wrap up the season at home with a six game home stand against the Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins from September 25th-30th.