2017 Phillies schedule features big finish at home

The Phillies will start next season where they started 2016 and they will end with a glut of home games at Citizens Bank Park.

Major League Baseball released its 2017 schedule on Wednesday, a schedule that includes a second straight opening day - April 3, 2017 - in Cincinnati and 16 of the Phillies' final 19 games at home.

The most brutal stretch of the schedule is in early August, when the Phillies will play 13 games in Western or Mountain time zones over a 20-day span. National League East teams are paired with American League West teams next season in interleague play, which makes for longer travel.

The Phillies will play a home-and-home series with Boston in June, which could be a homecoming for former general manager Ruben Amaro Jr., provided he remains on the Red Sox coaching staff. Amaro is Boston's first-base coach. Houston, Oakland, and Seattle will also visit Citizens Bank Park in interleague play.

They will have a chance to see Cole Hamels during a May trip to Texas for a three-game series against the Rangers.

The Phillies are on the road for Memorial Day and Labor Day but home on July 4, against Pittsburgh. The home opener is April 7 vs. Washington. The Phillies will play 12 of their first 36 games against the Nationals.

- Matt Gelb