MLB gets it right with 2023 schedule
Major League Baseball has received a lot of criticism lately and rightly so for a game that has gone overboard with analytics, has too many strikeouts, and not enough action. Plus the biggest criticism is that the games are too long with long stretches of little action.
MLB will be addressing the length of game issue, and there will likely be a pitch clock in the future. There will also likely be the elimination of shifts as we see them today. Those will be steps in the right direction.
Yet MLB did hit a home run with the release of the 2023 schedule. There will be major changes. The biggest is that every team will play against each other next year.
One of the biggest changes is that each team will play 52 games against division opponents. That is a decrease from 76.
This might be the best chance. This year the Phillies, played their four East Division opponents – Washington, the NY Mets, Atlanta and Miami – 19 times each.
With the new schedule, the teams will play 13 times each, which is still plenty. And just think, not having to see the Washington Nationals and Miami Marlins 19 times each is a bonus, even though it certainly helped the Phillies pad their win totals.
Teams will play 64 intraleague games (i.e. the rest of the Phillies National League opponents). This is decreased from 66.
The Phillies, for instance, will play six games against six league opponents and seven games against four other league opponents.
There will now be 46 interleague games for each team (the AL against the NL). That is an increase from 20.
Teams will play a home-and-home series (four games total) against their natural interleague rivals. The team the Phillies will play four games against is the Toronto Blue Jays.
Against the other 14 American League teams, the Phillies will have seven, three-game series at home and seven three-game series on the road.
Among the highlights: The Phillies open on the road at the Texas Rangers on March 30. The home opener at Citizens Bank Park is Thursday, April 6 in a 3:05 p.m. start against the Cincinnati Reds.
The Phillies also announced that most weeknight games Monday through Thursday will start at 6:40 p.m. Again, that is a great move, instead of starting at 7:05, because especially on school nights, it makes a difference to have youngsters get home earlier.
Friday games will start at 7:05 p.m.
Millville’s Mike Trout will visit Citizens Bank Park for a three-game series, Aug. 28-30. (Under the format, the Phillies will visit the Angels in the 2024 season) Teams playing those interleague matchups, alternate home games each year.
The Phillies and Nationals will meet in the 2023 Little League Classic at Bowman Field in Williamsport, PA. That will count as the National's home game.
MLB was criticized for not having all the teams play on the 4th of July this season. Next year, all 30 teams are scheduled for July 4th.
The All-Star game will be on July 11 in Seattle’s T-Mobile Park, one of the best stadiums to see a game.
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Author: Marc Narducci
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