Citi Field To Host Mets' 2012 Opener Against Braves; Yankees At Rays
NEW YORK (WFAN/AP) — The Mets will begin their 50th anniversary season in style -- at home.
Major League Baseball announced next year's schedule on Wednesday, and the Amazin's will open up Citi Field on the second day of the season against the Braves.
The schedule for April 5 has Atlanta at New York, Philadelphia at Pittsburgh, Toronto at Cleveland, Boston at Detroit, Washington at the Chicago Cubs, and Los Angeles at San Diego.
Openers slated for April 6 have the Yankees at Tampa Bay, Minnesota at Baltimore, Seattle at Oakland, the Chicago White Sox at Texas, Kansas City at the Los Angeles Angels, Colorado at Houston, St. Louis at Milwaukee, San Francisco at Arizona and Miami at Cincinnati.
The Yankees host the Mets from June 8-10, and the teams play at Citi Field from June 22-24.
The renamed Miami Marlins will start next season in their new ballpark a day ahead of the rest of the major leagues, playing the St. Louis Cardinals on April 4.
Known as the Florida Marlins since starting play in 1993, the team will be renamed Nov. 11 as it prepares to move into a $515 million, retractable-roof ballpark on the site that used to be the Orange Bowl.
Before the formal opener, the Marlins host the Yankees in exhibitions on April 1 and 2.
The 16th season of interleague play starts May 18 with matchups including the White Sox at the Cubs, Oakland at San Francisco, Baltimore at Washington, Houston at Texas, the Angels at San Diego, and Cincinnati at the Yankees in a rematch of the 1976 World Series.
The focus of Jackie Robinson Day on April 15 will be on Dodger Stadium, where Los Angeles hosts San Diego. The amateur draft will be June 4.
Next season is scheduled to end on Wednesday, Oct. 3. It likely will be followed by a new round of wild-card playoffs, with the postseason probably expanding from eight teams to 10.
Are you happy with next season's preliminary schedule? Sound off below...
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