(via Tampa Bay Rays Communications) - The Tampa Bay Rays have released their 2020 regular-season schedule, and for the 11th consecutive season will play at home on Opening Day as the Pittsburgh Pirates visit for a three-game series beginning on Thursday, March 26. All 30 major league clubs released their 2020 schedules today. The Rays schedule is subject to change, and game times will be announced at a later date.
This will be the first time the Rays have faced a National League opponent on Opening Day, and only the fifth time they have faced a club outside of the AL East, following March 31, 1998 vs. DET (a 11-6 loss), April 3, 2000 at MIN (a 7-0 win), April 2, 2002 vs. DET (a 9-5 win) and March 28, 2019 vs. HOU (a 5-1 loss). March 26 will mark the earliest Opening Day in Rays history, topping 2019. They will open the season on a Thursday for a third consecutive year, after never having done so prior to 2017.
For the eighth straight season, Tampa Bay will play 20 interleague games, and they will oppose all five teams from the NL Central and continue their annual home-and-home series with the Miami Marlins. The Rays are scheduled to host the Pirates (March 26-29), Milwaukee Brewers (May 30-31), St. Louis Cardinals (July 10-12) and Marlins (July 28-29). They will play interleague road series at Chicago (July 3-5), Milwaukee (July 7-8), Cincinnati (July 31–August 2) and Miami (September 8-9). It will be only the team’s second trip to Milwaukee, following June 20-22, 2011.
The Rays will play 19 games against each of their AL East rivals, the Baltimore Orioles (9 home, 10 away), Boston Red Sox (10 home, 9 away), New York Yankees (10 home, 9 away) and Toronto Blue Jays (10 home, 9 away). The schedule features two home weekend series against the Red Sox (August 7-9, September 17-20).
The Rays will play seven games against the Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Angels and Oakland Athletics. The Rays will have six games apiece vs. the Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins, Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers.
The Rays end the regular season with a 3-game series at Yankee Stadium, with their final regular-season game scheduled for September 27—tying the earliest regular-season finale in club history. They also finished their inaugural season in New York on September 27, 1998.
The last chance to secure 2019 season tickets with benefits, including postseason privileges, is Thursday, August 15. For information on season tickets and group tickets for the 2019 or 2020 seasons, fans should call 888-FAN-RAYS or visit RaysBaseball.com.
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