In theory, the Yankees schedule is equal to that of the other 29 teams. And it is because everyone plays 162 games, 81 home and 81 away. But as with many things, the devil is often in the details. So let’s take a look at the upcoming schedule with an eye towards seeing if anything jumps out, for better or worse.
The Yankees 2017 Schedule begins on Sunday, April 2 and ends on a Sunday, October 1. However, starting next year, the new collective bargaining agreement dictates that all teams will begin to play in the middle of the week to allow players more days off during the season and to ease travel requirements. At least, that’s the plan. But for this year, the old format remains intact.
I would think that the first thing you want to do when looking at your schedule for the first time is to go immediately to the beginning and the end of the season. They’re all important games of course, but at the start of the season you want to get off to a good start, and it follows that at the end of the season you want to see how things stack up anticipating a run for the playoffs.
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So, with that in mind, the Yankees begin the season with six away games against Tampa Bay and Baltimore. They have two off days that week before their home opener also against the Rays on April 10. So far, so good. The homestand lasts for nine games, and their strongest opponent is the Cardinals (interleague play in April – go figure).
That covers the first 15 games of the season, which is usually enough time to get your feet on the ground, with the intention of moving forward with a record that could be 10-5 (excellent), 5-10 (uh-oh), or 7-8 (no decision).
The Yankees schedule at the end of the season though is decidedly in their favor. 13 of their last 16 games are at home with a brief 3-game set in Toronto the only travel in between. Barring, of course, those damn make-ups that come along. But the good news there is they have two scheduled off-days during the span of those 16 games. It’s worthy to note that the Blue Jays are their most frequent opponent (6 games home and away).
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So far, so good. Now, let’s take a look at the middle of the season with a particular accent on Interleague Play. First, let’s concentrate on extended road trips, which can be tedious and be grinding in the middle of the summer. There’s a ten game trip in July with stops in Boston, Minneapolis, and Seattle which means they’ll be flying across the country and then back again on their off day.
They make their annual trek to the West Coast in June, which you would have to judge as right since it doesn’t come at the end of the season. And in September, they have a nine-game road trip before they return home to finish out the season. So far, still good.
As far as interleague play, they play four games against the Reds (a plus), their standard home and away series with the Mets (who knows), and also an absorbing three-game set with the Cubs at Wrigley Field that should be a barn burner in the early part of May.
The wild card with all team scheduling is FOX and ESPN, who pay a ton of money to MLB for broadcasting rights. ESPN has put out a schedule, but since all game times are subject to change, what’s the point of looking at it.
Again, the new collective bargaining agreement attempts to address the problem that can arise by restricting the start time of games on getaway days for traveling teams. But again, that doesn’t take effect until next season and is still dependant on the player’s ratification of the five-year agreement.
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So to summarize, and without looking at the schedules of other teams and particularly in those they stand to be in direct competition with, the Yankees appear to okay and will not be hurt by their 2017 schedule. And that’s especially true in those 16 games that come at pennant and playoff crunch time at the very end of the season.
