SEATTLE — Get ready for a March start to the regular season in 2018.
Major League Baseball released next year’s schedule Tuesday, and all 30 clubs will open the season on March 29. The Mariners will be playing host that Thursday night to the Cleveland Indians at Safeco Field.
Why the early start?
Next year marks the first season under the new scheduling format negotiated in the last labor agreement. It extends the length of the season by adding an additional weekend of play at the start of the season to give each club additional days off.
That means the schedule includes some quirks. For example, the Mariners have open dates on the first two Fridays. All clubs are starting the season on the same date for the first time since 1968.
The schedule is still tentative and subject to adjustments until January. Start times will be announced later, although the Mariners are planning a 7:10 p.m. first pitch for their season opener against the Indians.
The interleague rotation matches the Mariners and other American League West clubs against the National League West. For the Mariners, that means every NL West opponent visits Safeco except Arizona, and they play at every NL West venue except Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
The Mariners enjoy a home-heavy May schedule with 19 home games and just nine games on the road.
The Mariners also have weekend series at home against Boston (four games from June 14-17) and the New York Yankees (three games from Sept. 7-9).
The schedule has the Mariners at home for all three major summer holidays: Memorial Day (May 28 vs. Texas), Independence Day (July 4 vs. the Los Angeles Angels) and Labor Day (Sept. 3 vs. Baltimore).
Mariners 2018 tentative schedule
All Times TBA
March 29 Cleveland
March 31 Cleveland
April 1 Cleveland
April 3 at San Francisco
April 4 at San Francisco
April 5 at Minnesota
April 7 at Minnesota
April 8 at Minnesota
April 9 at Kansas City
April 10 at Kansas City
April 11 at Kansas City
April 13 Oakland
April 14 Oakland
April 15 Oakland
April 16 Houston
April 17 Houston
April 18 Houston
April 19 Houston
April 20 at Texas
April 21 at Texas
April 22 at Texas
April 23 at Chicago White Sox
April 24 at Chicago White Sox
April 25 at Chicago White Sox
April 26 at Cleveland
April 27 at Cleveland
April 28 at Cleveland
April 29 at Cleveland
May 1 Oakland
May 2 Oakland
May 3 Oakland
May 4 L.A. Angels
May 5 L.A. Angels
May 6 L.A. Angels
May 8 at Toronto
May 9 at Toronto
May 10 at Toronto
May 11 at Detroit
May 12 at Detroit
May 13 at Detroit
May 15 Texas
May 16 Texas
May 17 Detroit
May 18 Detroit
May 19 Detroit
May 20 Detroit
May 22 at Oakland
May 23 at Oakland
May 24 at Oakland
May 25 Minnesota
May 26 Minnesota
May 27 Minnesota
May 28 Texas
May 29 Texas
May 30 Texas
May 31 Texas
June 1 Tampa Bay
June 2 Tampa Bay
June 3 Tampa Bay
June 5 at Houston
June 6 at Houston
June 7 at Tampa Bay
June 8 at Tampa Bay
June 9 at Tampa Bay
June 10 at Tampa Bay
June 11 L.A. Angels
June 12 L.A. Angels
June 13 L.A. Angels
June 14 Boston
June 15 Boston
June 16 Boston
June 17 Boston
June 19 at N.Y. Yankees
June 20 at N.Y. Yankees
June 21 at N.Y. Yankees
June 22 at Boston
June 23 at Boston
June 24 at Boston
June 25 at Baltimore
June 26 at Baltimore
June 27 at Baltimore
June 28 at Baltimore
June 29 Kansas City
June 30 Kansas City
July 1 Kansas City
July 3 L.A. Angels
July 4 L.A. Angels
July 5 L.A. Angels
July 6 Colorado
July 7 Colorado
July 8 Colorado
July 10 at L.A. Angels
July 11 at L.A. Angels
July 12 at L.A. Angels
July 13 at Colorado
July 14 at Colorado
July 15 at Colorado
July 20 Chicago White Sox
July 21 Chicago White Sox
July 22 Chicago White Sox
July 24 San Francisco
July 25 San Francisco
July 27 at L.A. Angels
July 28 at L.A. Angels
July 29 at L.A. Angels
July 30 Houston
July 31 Houston
Aug. 1 Houston
Aug. 2 Toronto
Aug. 3 Toronto
Aug. 4 Toronto
Aug. 5 Toronto
Aug. 6 at Texas
Aug. 7 at Texas
Aug. 8 at Texas
Aug. 9 at Houston
Aug. 10 at Houston
Aug. 11 at Houston
Aug. 12 at Houston
Aug. 13 at Oakland
Aug. 14 at Oakland
Aug. 15 at Oakland
Aug. 17 L.A. Dodgers
Aug. 18 L.A. Dodgers
Aug. 19 L.A. Dodgers
Aug. 20 Houston
Aug. 21 Houston
Aug. 22 Houston
Aug. 24 at Arizona
Aug. 25 at Arizona
Aug. 26 at Arizona
Aug. 28 at San Diego
Aug. 29 at San Diego
Aug. 30 at Oakland
Aug. 31 at Oakland
Sept. 1 at Oakland
Sept. 2 at Oakland
Sept. 3 Baltimore
Sept. 4 Baltimore
Sept. 5 Baltimore
Sept. 7 N.Y. Yankees
Sept. 8 N.Y. Yankees
Sept. 9 N.Y. Yankees
Sept. 11 San Diego
Sept. 12 San Diego
Sept. 13 at L.A. Angels
Sept. 14 at L.A. Angels
Sept. 15 at L.A. Angels
Sept. 16 at L.A. Angels
Sept. 17 at Houston
Sept. 18 at Houston
Sept. 19 at Houston
Sept. 21 at Texas
Sept. 22 at Texas
Sept. 23 at Texas
Sept. 24 Oakland
Sept. 25 Oakland
Sept. 26 Oakland
Sept. 27 Texas
Sept. 28 Texas
Sept. 29 Texas
Sept. 30 Texas