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Game times announced for 2024 MLB regular season, Spring Training, Spring Breakout games

By
Major League Baseball, Press Release

Major League Baseball Wednesday announced start times for its entire 2024 calendar of games, including the regular season, Spring Training and the inaugural Spring Breakout. 

The 2024 Spring Training slate will officially begin on Thursday, Feb. 22 as the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres open the Cactus League season at 3:10 p.m. (ET)/1:10 p.m. (MST). Following four Cactus League games on Friday, Feb. 23, all 30 Major League Clubs will play in Cactus and Grapefruit League games on Saturday, Feb. 24.

The inaugural Spring Breakout, scheduled for Thursday, March 14 through Sunday, March 17, will showcase baseball’s future and current stars of Minor League Baseball with each Major League Club fielding a team of their top prospects to play exhibition games against another Club’s top prospects. The four-day event will officially begin with two contests on March 14 as the top prospects of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Orioles meet at 7:05 p.m. (ET) at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Florida, and the top prospects of the Texas Rangers and the Cincinnati Reds square off at 6:05 p.m. (ET)/3:05 p.m. (PT) at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Ariz. on March 14.

The Dodgers and Padres will begin the 2024 regular season with the Seoul Opening Series, which will mark the first-ever Major League games in South Korea on Wednesday, March 20 and Thursday, March 21 with both games beginning at 7:05 p.m. (local)/3:05 a.m. (PT) on ESPN. Traditional Opening Day, featuring all 30 Major League Clubs, will take place on Thursday, March 28.

The 15 games on Opening Day will feature six divisional matchups and one Interleague contest, featuring the Chicago Cubs visiting the reigning World Series Champion Texas Rangers at 7:35 p.m. (ET)/6:35 p.m. (CT) on ESPN. Eight games are scheduled for Friday, March 29, and a full slate of 15 games will be played on both Saturday, March 30 and Sunday, March 31. MLB Network will have extensive coverage of Opening Day on Thursday, March 28, with its Emmy Award-winning MLB Tonight, featuring live look-ins at games in progress, highlights and analysis.

In addition to the 2024 Opening Series in Seoul, the first half of the season will feature several other notable special events as previously announced. Major League games will return to both Mexico City and London for a second consecutive season with a two-game set between the Houston Astros and the Colorado Rockies at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú in Mexico City on Saturday, April 27 at 6:05 p.m. (ET)/4:05 p.m. (MT) and Sunday, April 28 at 4:05 p.m. (ET)/2:05 p.m. (MT) on ESPN; and the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies scheduled to meet at London Stadium on Saturday, June 8 at 1:10 p.m. (ET)/ 6:10 p.m. (local) on FOX and Sunday, June 9 at 10:10 a.m. (ET)/3:10 p.m. (local) on ESPN. The three international series are part of the MLB WORLD TOUR, which represents MLB and the MLBPA’s largest ever international play plan across the 2023-2026 seasons.

Rickwood Field, the oldest professional ballpark in the United States and the former home of the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues, will be the site of a special regular season contest between the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants on Thursday, June 20 at 7:15 p.m. (ET)/6:15 p.m. (CT)/4:15 (PT) on FOX. The event, scheduled around Juneteenth, will include a variety of activities as a tribute to the Negro Leagues and its greatest living player – Hall of Famer, Giants legend, Birmingham native and Black Barons player Willie Mays, who played at Rickwood.

The 94th All-Star Game presented by Mastercard will take place on Tuesday, July 16 at Globe Life Field in Texas, marking the ballpark’s first Midsummer Classic and the second overall hosted by the Rangers, joining the 1995 contest at The Ballpark in Arlington.

The final day of the 2024 regular season will be Sunday, Sept. 29, featuring eight divisional matchups, and with all 15 contests starting between 3:00-3:20 p.m. (ET).

The 2024 season will mark the second season under the balanced schedule format agreed to as part of the most recent Basic Agreement between MLB and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA). The fan-friendly format, which features all 30 Clubs playing each other for at least one series, provides fans with the opportunity to see more opponent matchups while offering national exposure to the stars of the game.

Other highlights of the 2024 calendar include:

In addition to the three international regular season series, the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays will meet for a pair of Spring Training contests at Estadio Quisqueya in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on Saturday, March 9 at 6:05 p.m. (ET) and Sunday, March 10 at 1:05 p.m. (ET).

All 30 Clubs are scheduled to play on Jackie Robinson Day on Monday, April 15, including the Washington Nationals visiting the Dodgers in Los Angeles at 10:10 p.m. (ET)/7:10 p.m. (PT). Major League games will be played throughout the day on April 15, which is also Patriots’ Day in Boston, and the Cleveland Guardians will visit the Red Sox at Fenway Park at 11:10 a.m. (ET).

The Astros will visit the Cubs for a three-game set beginning on Tuesday, April 23 at 7:40 p.m. (ET)/6:40 p.m. (CT), marking Houston’s first trip to Wrigley Field since 2013.

The Oakland Athletics will host the Rangers for a traditional doubleheader on Wednesday, May 8 at 3:37 p.m. (ET)/12:37 p.m. (PT), marking the first of two scheduled doubleheaders across the Majors in 2024.

In a rematch of the 2023 World Series, the Rangers will host the reigning NL Champion Arizona Diamondbacks for a two-game series beginning on Tuesday, May 28 at 8:05 p.m. (ET)/7:05 p.m. (CT).

All 30 Clubs will play on Lou Gehrig Day on Sunday, June 2, including the New York Yankees visiting the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park at 4:05 p.m. (ET)/1:05 p.m. (PT).

The Dodgers will make their first trip to play the Yankees in New York since 2016 during a three-game series beginning on Friday, June 7 at 7:05 p.m. (ET). FOX will broadcast the contest on Saturday, June 8 at 7:35 p.m. (ET) following its coverage of the Mets-Phillies game in London at 1:10 p.m. (ET).

The Padres will visit Fenway Park for the first time since 2013 with a three-game series against the Red Sox beginning on Friday, June 28 at 7:10 p.m. (ET).

All 30 Clubs will be on the field for the Fourth of July, including the Mets visiting the Nationals in Washington, D.C. to begin the day at 11:05 a.m. (ET).

In the second scheduled traditional doubleheader on the 2024 schedule, the Giants will host the Rockies for a pair of games on Saturday, July 27 at 7:05 p.m. (ET)/4:05 p.m. (PT).

The Rangers will visit the Cardinals for a three-game series beginning on Monday, July 29 at 7:45 p.m. (ET)/6:45 p.m. (CT), marking the Rangers’ first trip to St. Louis since 2016.

The Yankees and Detroit Tigers will square off at Muncy Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pa. in the 2024 Little League Classic on Sunday, Aug. 18 at 7:10 p.m. (ET).

All 30 Clubs will play on Roberto Clemente Day presented by Capital One on Sunday, Sept. 15, including the Pirates hosting the Kansas City Royals at PNC Park at 1:35 p.m. (ET).

Please visit MLB.com for the complete 2024 regular season, Spring Training and Spring Breakout schedules. Individual Club schedules can be found at each of the respective 30 Club sites.