When does mlb season start?
The 2023 Major League Baseball season began on March 30, with the regular season planned to end on October 1. The 93rd All-Star Game is scheduled to be played on July 11, hosted by the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington. The postseason is scheduled to begin on October 3 and would end with a potential World Series Game 7 on November 4.
This season sees the introduction of several rule changes. In an effort to create a quicker pace of play, a pitch clock was introduced along with other minor changes, while limits on defensive shifts and larger bases were also introduced.
On August 24, 2022, Major League Baseball released their 2023 schedule. There are 162 games scheduled for all teams. This will be the first MLB season of a new balanced schedule in which every team will play each other at least once like in the NBA and NHL. The new balanced schedule includes 13 games against their division rivals, totaling 52 games. Each team will play six games against six opponents and seven games against four opponents in the same league for a total of 64 games. Each team will also play 46 interleague games, including a four-game home-and-home series against their designated interleague rival.
As part of the "MLB World Tour", the San Francisco Giants and the San Diego Padres played a two-game series at Alfredo Harp Helú Stadium in Mexico City on April 29–30, while the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs are scheduled to play a two-game series at London Stadium in London on June 24–25. The 93rd All-Star Game is scheduled to be played on July 11, hosted by the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park in Seattle. The MLB Little League Classic will feature the Philadelphia Phillies against the Washington Nationals on August 20.
Opening Day, March 30, features all thirty teams, the first time since 1968 that every team has started their season on the same day.
The MLB at Field of Dreams game will not be held due to the construction of a new youth baseball and softball complex at the Field of Dreams site near Dyersville, Iowa.
On September 8, 2022, MLB announced a set of rules changes that will take effect in 2023.
Further changes were announced on February 13, 2023:
(Updated through June 6)
Six additional teams will unveil new City Connect uniforms during the course of the season.
Starting with this season, teams may add advertisement patches to their uniforms. The following teams have announced their uniform advertisements:
The Padres wore 1948 Pacific Coast League throwbacks on April 17 in honor of Johnny Ritchey, who integrated the PCL.
All teams and umpires wore #42 on April 15, the 76th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's debut in the majors. For the second consecutive year, all teams wore the #42 in Dodger Blue font. Players who normally wear their number on the front did not have them.
This is the second year of the existing seven year deals with ESPN, Fox, TBS, Apple TV+, and MLB Network; and the second year of a two-year deal with NBC Sports/Peacock:
During the postseason, the ESPN networks (including ABC) (with Spanish–language simulcasts on ESPN Deportes) will air all four Wild Card Series. TBS (with Spanish-language simulcasts on MLB Network) will then broadcast the National League Division Series and the National League Championship Series, and Fox Sports (Fox and FS1, with Spanish-language simulcasts on Fox Deportes) will broadcast the American League Division Series, the American League Championship Series and the World Series.
On February 24, 2023, the AT&T SportsNet regional sports networks sent a letter to the Rockies, Astros and Pirates saying they had until March 31, to reach an agreement to take their local television rights back. Warner Bros. Discovery, the owners of the networks, intends to leave the regional sports networks business. If a deal is not reached the networks will file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Root Sports Northwest is not affected because the Mariners already own majority control of that network. The Houston Astros and Houston Rockets are negotiating to take over AT&T SportsNet Southwest from Warner Bros. Discovery. Warner Bros. Discovery and Major League Baseball are negotiating a deal to keep the remaining RSNs operational through the end of the season.
On February 15, 2023, Diamond Sports Group, owners of the Bally Sports regional sports networks, failed to make a $140M interest payment, and entered a 30-day grace period. On March 14, Diamond Sports officially filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. Diamond has missed payments to the Diamondbacks, Rangers, Guardians and Twins. Diamond also entered grace periods for their payments to the Padres and Reds, which they eventually made. On April 5, Major League Baseball filed an emergency motion asking the bankruptcy judge to order Diamond to pay the teams they missed payments to or give the media rights back to the MLB. Diamond argued that because of cord-cutting the contract rate for the media rights of the teams was too high. A hearing on the matter was set for May 31. As an interim, on April 19, the bankruptcy judge ordered Diamond Sports to pay 50% of what the Diamondbacks, Guardians, Twins and Rangers are owed. On June 1, after a two day long hearing, the bankruptcy judge ordered Diamond to pay the teams fully within five days.
On May 31, Diamond officially missed a second payment to the Padres, and the Padres' television rights were returned to Major League Baseball. Because Bally Sports San Diego, which aired Padres games, is a joint venture between the Padres and Diamond it is technically not in bankruptcy. Therefore this missed payment did not have the same bankruptcy protections that Diamond's other missed payments had. Padres games will be available blackout free on MLB.tv, as well as through channels on select cable providers in the San Diego area. MLB Network will produce the games with the Padres' regular commentators.
The following players retired during the 2023 season and before the start of the 2024 campaign:
Major League Baseball announced games times for the 2023 season, including Opening Day on March 30.
All 30 teams – 15 games – are scheduled to play on Opening Day, which would be the first time since 1968 that every team is playing its first game on the same day.
The defending World Series champion Houston Astros open the season at home against the Chicago White Sox, while other Opening Day highlights include the New York Yankees hosting the San Francisco Giants, and Cleveland Guardians visiting the Seattle Mariners.
The league introduced a new, balanced schedule for 2023 with every team playing 52 divisional games (down from 76), 46 interleague games (up from 20) and 64 intraleague games (down from 44).
Here's the full schedule for the first day of Major League Baseball's 2023 season:
Follow every game: Latest MLB Scores and Schedules
March 30
Atlanta Braves at Washington Nationals – 1:05 p.m. ET
San Francisco Giants at New York Yankees – 1:05 p.m
Baltimore Orioles at Boston Red Sox – 2:10 p.m.
Milwaukee Brewers at Chicago Cubs – 2:20 p.m.
Detroit Tigers at Tampa Bay Rays – 3:10 p.m.
Philadelphia Phillies at Texas Rangers – 4:05 p.m.
Pittsburgh Pirates at Cincinnati Reds – 4:10 p.m.
Colorado Rockies at San Diego Padres – 4:10 p.m.
Toronto Blue Jays at St. Louis Cardinals – 4:10 p.m.
Minnesota Twins at Kansas City Royals – 4:10 p.m.
New York Mets at Miami Marlins – 4:10 p.m.
Chicago White Sox at Houston Astros – 7:08 p.m.
Los Angeles Angels at Oakland Athletics – 10:07 p.m.
Arizona Diamondbacks at Los Angeles Dodgers – 10:10 p.m.
Cleveland Guardians at Seattle Mariners – 10:10 p.m.
Yes, the calendar has flipped to March, meaning the start of the 2023 Major League Baseball season is just a few short weeks away. But there are still spring training games to be played - and a World Baseball Classic to be held - in the lead up to first pitch on March 30.
That is when all 30 teams are scheduled to play on Opening Day, which, barring postponement, will be the first time since 1968 that every MLB team starts the season on the same day. The Opening Day slate includes some interleague matchups as the league reduces the number of divisional games to create a more balanced Wild Card race for teams in different divisions.
The number of divisional opponents that each team plays will decrease from 76 to 52 in 2023, including 13 games against each. Each team will play 64 intraleague games, a marginal reduction from 64, and 46 interleague games, an increase from 20 that will also include series against certain team's natural rivals (Yankees vs. Mets, Cubs vs. White Sox, Dodgers vs. Angels, etc.).
Other highlights of the 2023 schedule include the All-Star Game in Seattle on July 11, a two-game series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs at London Stadium on June 24-25 as part of the MLB World Tour and a matchup between the Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals for the Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pa., on Aug. 20.
First comes Opening Day. Here is the full slate of games for the start of the MLB regular season on March 30.
San Francisco Giants at New York Yankees, 1:05 ET, Yankee Stadium
Atlanta Braves at Washington Nationals, 1:05 ET, Nationals Park
Baltimore Orioles at Boston Red Sox, 2:10 ET, Fenway Park
Milwaukee Brewers at Chicago Cubs, 2:20 ET, Wrigley Field
Detroit Tigers at Tampa Bay Rays, 3:10 ET, Tropicana Field
Minnesota Twins at Kansas City Royals, 3:10 ET, Kauffman Stadium
Philadelphia Phillies at Texas Rangers, 4:05 ET, Globe Life Field
New York Mets at Miami Marlins, 4:10 ET, LoanDepot Park
Pittsburgh Pirates at Cincinnati Reds, 4:10 ET, Great American Ballpark
Toronto Blue Jays at St. Louis Cardinals, 4:10 ET, Busch Stadium
Colorado Rockies at San Diego Padres, 5:10 ET, Petco Park
Chicago White Sox at Houston Astros, 7:08 ET, Minute Maid Park
Los Angeles Angels at Oakland A's, 10:07 ET, RingCentral Coliseum
