We have not finished the 2022 MLB season, and the schedule for next season has already been released. We are talking about 162 games played by each team, which begin in the spring and will end in the fall.
Opening day is expected on March 30 with a mostly balanced schedule. MLB teams will face every team at least once during the regular season for the first time in history.
Changes to the schedule will greatly impact how the season unfolds, especially in the postseason.
Why does MLB think of a more balanced schedule?
2022 has been a year in which the postseason was expanded to include three wild cards in each league. But it is more important to see that each league has similar schedules. It is there to prevent wins or losses from counting equally and the advantages of teams in weak divisions over divisions fighting for Wild Cards.
Now it’s not in dispute that the teams facing everyone else for the first time will definitely bring plenty of entertainment.
And, of course, this brings competitive benefits, mentioned Chris Marinak, MLB’s chief of operations and strategy. “This fan-friendly format will give fans the opportunity to see a wider variety of opponents and star players from across baseball in their home market more regularly than under the previous structure.”
But is the calendar really balanced?
If we speak very strictly, this calendar is not so strict. You will be able to watch teams play against individual opponents, as the schedule is no longer skewed toward divisional matchups like it used to.
How many games will each team play against division rivals?
The idea is to see teams play 52 games against opponents from the same division, a considerable reduction from 76 under the previous structure.
Included within the 52 games will be 13 games of four series against each divisional opponent, a reduction of 19 games.
How many games will each team play against opponents outside their division?
The goal is for each team to play 64 interleague games, thinking of 32 at home and 32 away, 2 less than before.
You will be able to enjoy six matches against six league opponents and seven against four other league opponents. Quite the opposite of the previous format, as the clubs played six games against four league opponents and seven against six league opponents.
How many interleague games will each team play?
Here we can see the biggest change; in a list of 46 interleague games for each team (LA vs. NL and vice versa), an increase of 20.
Back and forth will be the games with a total of four games against the natural interleague rival. We are talking about Yankees vs. Mets, Cubs vs. White Sox, etc. And, of course, 42 games against other interleague opponents, which includes seven series with 21 games at home and seven series with 21 games on the road.
Since when is the calendar “unbalanced”?
This calendar that we already knew had been implemented since 2001. In that year, the teams already began to play 16 to 20 games against each of their rivals in their division.
Long before that, the younger circuit did have a more balanced schedule since it expanded from 12 to 14 teams in 1977.
But interleague schedules have never been as balanced as they will be in 2023.
How will this balanced schedule affect the game?
Travel will undoubtedly have its variations, and the rescheduling of games will also be affected in interleague games.
The division will have a greater challenge to more fairly decide the divisions as the wild cards. Simply put, teams in the same division and league will have more opportunities to play common opponents.
Now, this can also affect the formulation of the rosters. Well, if you have fewer division games, there might even be less thought of player acquisitions—this thinking about teams’ performance from one league or another.
What other factors affect this schedule?
Mastercard’s 2023 All-Star game will be on July 11 at Mobile Park. Plus, if the weather is friendly, the famous opening day will be March 30, and it will be the first since 1968 that each MLB team starts on the same day.
And, of course, Independence Day will have 30 teams playing that day. Among other situations, the Cardinals and Cubs will play a series of two games on June 24-25 in London as part of the MLB World Tour.
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