- Major League Baseball schedule
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The Major League Baseball season is the set of scheduled games played prior to the postseason (playoffs). 162 games are played. Prior to 1961 in the American League and 1962 in the National, 154 games were played. The games are scheduled over 178 to 183 days, except when teams participate in International Openers. [1]. The season typically runs from early April to late September, followed by the postseason in October.
The season begins with the official Opening Day and runs 26 weeks through the last Sunday of September or first Sunday of October. One or more International Opener games may be scheduled outside the United States and Canada before the official Opening Day. Not every team plays every day, but there are daily games except during the All-Star Game break. Individual teams are given some days off on Mondays and Thursdays.
Contents
Historical season schedules
This account gives the length of the major league championship season schedule by league and year. It does not cover the curtailment of play by war (1918) or by strikes and lockouts (1972, 1981, 1994). The schedules for 1995 were revised and shortened from 162 to 144 games, after late resolution of the strike that had begun in 1994 required a delay in the season to accommodate limited spring training.
The listed years are those in which the league revised its schedule. For example, the National League (NL)scheduled 84 games during 1879, 1880, 1881, and 1882 — four seasons begin 1879, ending before 1883, the next listing. 1876 is listed here for convenience although the NL did not schedule games (see 1871 to 1876).
National League
Start year Total Games Schedule 1876 70 games 10 games × 7 opponents 1877 60 games 12 games × 5 opponents 1879 84 games 12 games × 7 opponents 1883 98 games 14 games × 7 opponents 1884 112 games 16 games × 7 opponents 1886 126 games 18 games × 7 opponents 1888 140 games 20 games × 7 opponents 1892 154 games 14 games × 11 opponents 1893 132 games 12 games × 11 opponents 1898 154 games 14 games × 11 opponents 1900 140 games 20 games × 7 opponents 1904 154 games 22 games × 7 opponents 1919 140 games 20 games × 7 opponents 1920 154 games 22 games × 7 opponents 1962 162 games 18 games × 9 opponents 1969 162 games 18 games × 5 opponents in own division, 12 × 6 in other division 1993 162 games expansion - schedules same as AL 1979-1993 1994 162 games leagues split into 3 divisions - schedules based on 1993 alignments 1997 162 games inter-league play introduced - opponent schedules vary 1998 162 games expansion - opponent schedules vary American League
Start year Total Games Schedule 1901 140 games 20 games × 7 opponents 1904 154 games 22 games × 7 opponents 1919 140 games 20 games × 7 opponents 1920 154 games 22 games × 7 opponents 1961 162 games 18 games × 9 opponents 1969 162 games 18 games × 5 opponents in own division, 12 × 6 in other division 1977 162 games expansion - 15 games × 6 opponents in own division, 10 or 11 × 7 opponents in other division 1979 162 games 13 games × 6 opponents in own division, 12 games × 7 opponents in other division 1994 162 games leagues split into 3 divisions - schedules based on 1993 alignments 1997 162 games inter-league play introduced - opponent schedules vary 1998 162 games expansion - 18 games × 3 or 4 opponents in own division - 18 games against NL teams (with usually 6 games, 3 home 3 away against one team every year, and the other 12 games against 4 other teams which may or may not be in the same division as the first team, rotating by division on a 3 year cycle. Other opponent schedules vary. American Association
1882 - 1891
- 1882 - 80 games - 16 games × 5 opponents
- 1883 - 98 games - 14 games × 7 opponents
- 1884 - 112 games - 16 games × 7 opponents
- 1886 - 140 games - 20 games × 7 opponents
- After 1891 four AA clubs joined the NL and four were bought out.
Union Association
1884
- 1884 - 112 games - 16 games × 7 opponents
Players' League
1890
- 1890 - 140 games - 20 games × 7 opponents
Federal League
1914 - 1915
- 1914 - 154 games - 22 games x 7 opponents
National Association of Professional Baseball Players
The National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (1871–1875) did not schedule games, nor did it control the number of teams, a major reason for its demise after the 1875 season. Clubs paid a $10 entry fee, later $20, to enter the Association for one season and thereby declare for that year's national championship. Without continuing membership or heavy investment there was little to deter a team from breaking a commitment, and though it happened it was mainly due to clubs going out of business.
The National League organized for 1876 on a different basis, granting exclusive memberships to eight clubs that would continue from year to year — it was generally expected, if only because membership would be profitable. But the new league followed its predecessor in merely agreeing that each club would play a certain number of matches to a decision (excluding ties) by a certain date. Boston played 70 games with its quota of ten decisions against every rival.
For all six early seasons, clubs made their own dates including championship games, other games with members, and games with non-members. Some may have practically dictated arrangements with some others, but there was no central control or coordination.
This listing gives the greatest number of games played by any club for each season. Naturally, the leader by games played was always a strong club fielding one of the better gate attractions.
- 1871 - 33 games (Mutual, New York)
- 1872 - 58 games (Lord Baltimore)
- 1873 - 60 games (Boston)
- 1874 - 71 games (Boston)
- 1875 - 86 games (Hartford)
- 1876 - 70 games (Boston). This was the first National League season (see text).
Recent season schedules
Since 1998 there are thirty major league teams whose advance schedule for every season comprises 2430 games, namely 162 games for each team including 81 as "home" and 81 as "visitor". Some games may be scheduled for sites other than the two home ballparks but one of the two is always designated the home team. Beside that advance schedule, some games are postponed and rescheduled; occasional one-game playoffs are added to the championship season in order to break ties; and annual postseason series also follow.
Currently the schedule includes 252 "interleague games" that match one team from the American League and one from the National League; the other 2178 games match a pair from within one league. About half of the latter match teams from within one division and about half match teams from different divisions in one league. In the Central Division of the National League, which alone has six teams, every pair of division rivals plays 15 or 16 games. Within the other, smaller divisions every pair of teams plays 18 or 19 games.
Division games (1091). There are 61 pairs of teams from within one division.
- 25 pairings will play 19 games each (475 games)
- 21 pairings will play 18 games each (378 games)
- 13 pairings will play 16 games each (208 games)
- 2 pairings will play 15 games each (30 games)
- Total: 1091 games.
Other intraleague games (1087). There are 150 pairs of teams from two different divisions within one league.
- 23 pairings will play 10 games each (230 games)
- 15 pairings will play 9 games each (135 games)
- 8 pairings will play 8 games each (64 games)
- 34 pairings will play 7 games each (238 games)
- 70 pairings will play 6 games each (420 games)
- Total: 1087 games.
Interleague play
The schedule for interleague play comprises 84 three-game series, namely six series (18 games) for each of fourteen AL teams and as many as six for each of sixteen NL teams.
Among the 224 interleague pairs of teams, 11 play six games every year, which are scheduled in two three-game series "home and home", or one at each home ballpark. Five of these matches feature two teams in the same city or in neighboring cities, where they wholly or partly share territorial rights. Six are regional matches at greater distance, four of which are in the same state.
- Baltimore and Washington
- Chicago Cubs (Northside) and Chicago White Sox (Southside)
- Cincinnati and Cleveland
- Florida (Miami) and Tampa Bay (Tampa/St. Petersburg)
- Houston and Texas (Arlington)
- Kansas City and St. Louis
- Los Angeles Angels (Anaheim) and Los Angeles Dodgers
- Milwaukee and Minnesota (Minneapolis/St. Paul)
- New York Mets (Queens) and New York Yankees (Bronx)
- Oakland and San Francisco
- San Diego and Seattle
These local and regional series account for 66 interleague games and the other 186 are determined by rotation.
9/11 rescheduling
The season was suspended for one week due to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and resulting disruptions in travel, resulting in games scheduled for September 11–17 being rescheduled to the first week of October and the playoffs and World Series being rescheduled one week later than their originally planned dates, which resulted in the World Series continuing into early November.
Notes
- ^ "2007-2011 Basic Agreement" (PDF). p. 3. http://mlb.mlb.com/pa/pdf/cba_english.pdf. Retrieved July 7, 2009.
References
- The Sporting News Baseball Guide
- The MacMillan Baseball Encyclopedia
- Retrosheet. "The Directory of Major League Years". Retrieved 2006-09-05.
- O'Grady, Jim (April 4, 1999). "Major League Scheduling: The High, Hard One". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1999/04/04/nyregion/new-yorkers-co-major-league-scheduling-the-high-hard-one.html?pagewanted=all. Retrieved July 7, 2009.
External links
- The Sports Scheduling Group (official Major League Baseball schedulers)
Major League Baseball seasons Pre-modern era Beginnings1876 · 1877 · 1878 · 1879 · 1880 · 1881CompetitionNL monopoly1892 · 1893 · 1894 · 1895 · 1896 · 1897 · 1898 · 1899 · 1900Modern era Deadball eraLiveball eraWartimePostwarExpansionDivision playWildcardSee also Major League Baseball schedule · Major League BaseballCategories:
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