Some highlights of the 2012 schedule
HOUSTON -- The world will end in 2012, so you might as well savor the final baseball season. Or maybe the Mayan calendar will prevail. You just never know with these things.
Some highlights of the 2012 schedule
Matt Gelb
HOUSTON -- The world will end in 2012, so you might as well savor the final baseball season. Or maybe the Mayan calendar will prevail. You just never know with these things.
In the meantime, here are 10 facts about the newly released 2012 Phillies schedule:
1. The Phillies will play a majority of American League East teams in Interleague play. There's no rhyme or reason to the scheduling anymore, and that has created a faction greatly in favor of balanced scheduling.
In 2012, Boston and Tampa Bay will come to Citizens Bank Park. The Red Sox weekend is May 18-20 and that's sure to be the first one to sell out.
2. The Interleague road games are all grouped into one nine-game trip, which will make the Phillies happy. They go to Baltimore, Minnesota and Toronto from June 8-17. It'll be the team's first trip to Camden Yards since 2006.
3. The season opens with a three-game series in Pittsburgh. It's no Washington, but Phillies fans could make the cross-state trek to take over another visiting ballpark. Opening day is April 5, a Thursday.
4. The longest road trip of the season comes in April, a 10-game West Coast swing in San Francisco (3), San Diego (4) and Arizona (3). The other West Coast trip is immediately after the All-Star Break. That trip goes to Colorado and Los Angeles.
5. The first visit to the new Miami Marlins ballpark is June 29-July 1. Yes, they are the Miami Marlins now. On the schedule, they appear as MIA.
6. July 4 is spent in New York. Memorial Day is also spent in New York. Labor day is on the road in Cincinnati.
7. The extra home opponent is Colorado, who visits Philadelphia twice because the Phillies have three road Interleague series and only two at home.
8. In May, they have a stretch of 14 in 16 games at home, the only road trip a quick two-day jaunt to Chicago. Those are the only games at Wrigley.
9. The All-Star Game is July 10 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.
10. Once again, the Phillies will spend the majority of Sept./Oct. on the road. Eighteen of their final 30 games are on the road. The season ends with a six-game roadtrip to Miami and Washington.
Have a question? Send it to Matt Gelb's Mailbag.
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Warbiscuit has never let rationality or facts get in the way of being negative. He should discuss this with the shrink he so clearly should be seeing.— judas_priest- Warbiscuit has never let rationality or facts get in the way of being negative. He should discuss this with the shrink he so clearly should be seeing.— judas_priest
- Do the Phillies have any off days scheduled next September?— PhightinPhil
- By the way have I mentioned recently how much I dislike the disabled hitter rule, domed stadia, artificial "turf" (if it's artificial, it isn't turf!), inter-league play, and wild card playoff teams?— BEMiller
- 4 games in April, yes!! over the weekend yes!! here in San Diego. The only thing more I could ask is to be wearing a 2011 World Champion hat!!!— sarah89
- The Boston Red Sox series is "sure to be the first to sell out". Wow, how many consecutive sell outs at the Bank? Is there someone worrying as to what goes first excepting philly.com hacks with nothing for blithering material?— BEMiller
- Good Grief!
I know The Idiot Selig and his ninnyons have released the schedule, but why in the world is ANYONE interested in it? It's NEXT YEAR!— BEMiller - Warbiscuit seems confused. Myers, who is 5-13 with a 4.52 era was signed by Houston as a free agent. Happ is 6-15 with a 5.59 ERA. Oswalt, despite his injury problems, is 7-9 with an ERA of 3.88.— Mr. Baseball
- Yeah warbiscuit. because losing Happ has destroyed the Phils so far.— ESFjellin
Comment removed.- Six years between trips to your closest neighbor is a complete joke. It's the first time in years I have a reason to go to Camden Yards.— shadesofdeath
- It's time to add Baltimore to the NL East and have the Marlins go to the AL East.— Roman529
- July 13-15th here in Colorado works great for me...it is over the weekend. Sweet!!!!— Roman529
- "Why no Yankees, again....they are the closest American League team to Philly?"
No they are not, Baltimore Orioles are closer.— PhilsBirdsFlys - Good pickup, PBF! — BEMiller
- MIA!! That's hilarious!!!— uncle meat
- Why does Boston ALWAYS come to Philly (4 or 5 straight seasons?) and the Phillies aren't going to Fenway?— Jeff Dowder
- once again in 2012 Phils have to play Houston in September, as Astros' only raison d'etre is to beat the Phillies late in year in annual commemoration of the years 2003 -2006 when Phils would compete for wild card until they got beat by Astros, and as an annual reminder that Amaro could have kept Myers and Happ and wouldnt have had to waste money and prospects to obtain 2 effective months of a generally washed-up Oswalt— warbiscuit
- Once again, bizkits, your ten second memory is letting you down. Neither Brett Myers nor J.A.Happ has pitched worth a tinker's dam this year until the games against the Phillies.
Honestly, I didn't want to let either one of them go, but, the Phillies are in far better shape, as a team, now, that they were then!
RO is strengthening every outing, and there you go again, because CU's first month or even a bit longer was a disaster.
Injuries happen in sports--but you would have never noticed that nor long remembered that.— BEMiller - I think the Phillies Offense is listed as MIA these past few games.— palmyra21
- When do we drop our annual series in Houston?— Joe Lis lives
Validates the need for a reorganization of MLB. Leagues and divisions need to by symmetric.— TennPhan- Validates the need for a reorganization of MLB. Leagues and divisions need to by symmetric.— TennPhan
- MGelb, good analysis of the sched. In your analysis, the schedule seems a bit bizarre when taken out of the day-to-day context and seems 'unfavorable' to the Phils. As reigning WS champs, they'll have alot of teams shooting for them. Too bad we have to again play the BoSox; can't stand The Nation and their hype. Would prefer to see the blue pinstripes. See you at the Park.— 24sDad
- Why no Yankees, again....they are the closest American League team to Philly?— frank105
