Phillies will open 2013 home schedule with AL team
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Phillies will open 2013 home schedule with AL team
Matt Gelb
For the first time ever, a Phillies home opener will be against an American League team.
The 2013 season will begin with a three-game series in Atlanta on April 2 followed by the April 5 opener at Citizens Bank Park against the Kansas City Royals. Major League Baseball has yet to officially release next season's schedule, but three sources with knowledge of it confirmed details.
Year-round interleague play is forced by MLB's impending realignment that evens the two leagues to 15 teams each. (The Houston Astros are moving to the American League West.) Every division will be paired with another in an effort to balance the scheduling.
The Phillies will play 21 interleague games in 2013. They played 15 in 2012 and went 5-10 in those games.
The National League East will pair with the American League Central in 2013. In addition to Kansas City, the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians are scheduled to play in Philadelphia.
The Phillies are scheduled to make American League trips to Minnesota, Cleveland and Detroit.
They will also play a four-game home-and-home series vs. the Boston Red Sox with each city hosting two games. Boston serves as the Phillies' "natural rival" in 2013.
The Phillies open and close the season in Atlanta. The full schedule is expected to be released sometime in September.
Have a question? Send it to Matt Gelb's Mailbag.
Interleague Play Sucks— wobblie- Likely will be the Astros, with Roger Clemens pitching. LOL— 24sDad
- Likely will be the Astros, with Roger Clemens pitching. LOL— 24sDad
- Bud Selig is a joke.— funlikethewind
- Is Roger Clemens trying to break Jamie Moyer's record as the oldest starting pitcher to ever win a game?
— SteveS11 - But who will break Roger Clemens's record as the oldest starting pitcher ever to juice?— steveinphilly
- Interleague play would be better if the home team played by the visiting teams rules. If it's suppose to be for the fans, then NL cities would play by AL rules and we'd get to see the DH and vice versa.— WBFO
- Why would a dyed in the wool National League fan give a damn about the DH? — TheVisionary
- The truth of the 2013 schedule will probably be a combination of the article and this one: http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/page/rumblings120518/mlb-2013-interleague-schedule-huge-step-right-direction— TheVisionary
- Why does anyone oppose interleague play? Other than the three times a game in which the pitcher won't bat do you really care or notice if the Phillies are playing the White Sox or if it was a series against the Brewers?— guyguy4
- When's the interplanetary schedule coming out?— s
- I'm still wondering why the coaches and manager wear uniforms.— bearsfriend
- bears: Yeah, especially when a lot of them have good-size bellies that really show to advantage in a uni. At least in a suit they could cover up the gut. Connie Mack had the right idea (although not the gut).— Dave Clemens
- Dumb. No one wants to see KC, the white sox or Cleveland...no games against the Yankees again ? makes no sense...Bud Selig must have dementia.— tmac71
- To the first comment. You should have said the Phillies stink at interleague play not that interleague play stinks. And who needs to watch Ryan Howard strike out in AL parks also.— eaglesman1
