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.