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SPORTS Thursday 25 augusT 2022
MLB teams to play all 29 opponents under ‘23 balanced sked

By RONALD BLUM NL openers are Milwau- Natural interleague rivals in-
AP Baseball Writer kee at the Chicago Cubs, clude Mets-Yankees, Cubs-
NEW YORK (AP) — Every Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, White Sox, Dodgers-Angels,
major league team will play Arizona at the Los Ange- Giants-Athletics, Reds-Indi-
each other in the same les Dodgers, the New York ans, Marlins-Rays, Orioles-
season for the first time next Mets at Miami, Colorado at Nationals, Royals-Cardinals
year as the sport switches San Diego and Atlanta at and Brewers-Twins.
to its first balanced sched- Washington. Among the teams with no
ule since 2000. Interleague openers have geographic interleague
As a result of the format San Francisco at the New rivals, MLB paired Red Sox-
switch agreed to in the York Yankees, Toronto at St. Braves, Pirates-Tigers, Phil-
March lockout settlement, Louis and Philadelphia at lies-Blue Jays, Rangers-Dia-
high-profile games be- Texas. mondbacks, Astros-Rockies
tween division rivals such as Members of the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute into Other home openers are and Padres-Mariners.
Yankees-Red Sox, Dodgers- Yankee Stadium before a baseball game between the Toronto the Giants at the White Sox Travel is roughly the same
Giants and Cubs-Cardinals Blue Jays and the New York Yankees. Saturday, Aug. 20, 2022, and the Mets at Milwau- as the prior format, which
will be reduced from 19. In- in New York. kee on April 3; San Diego had teams play 76 games
tradivision games will drop Associated Press at Atlanta, the Dodgers against division foes, 66
from 47% to 32%. ral rival and a single three- Marinak said. “And prob- at Arizona, the Yankees at against other clubs in the
A team will host all of the game series against each ably more importantly, it Baltimore, Boston at De- league (seven vs. six teams
other 29 clubs at least once of the 14 other clubs in the gives us a chance for our troit, Houston at Minneso- and six against four teams)
every two seasons. opposite league. star players to get expo- ta, Miami at the Mets and and 20 interleague.
“I think it’s great for the “This new format creates sure more nationally and Cincinnati at Philadelphia “The bulk of what dictates
fans,” Mets manager Buck more common opponents, be seen in more places on April 6, and Seattle at your travel is the number
Showalter said. “I’m so tired both in the division and throughout the season.” Cleveland, Washington at of trips you take, and this
of playing the same peo- among your league op- The American League used Colorado, Toronto at the doesn’t change the num-
ple.” Major League Base- ponents, so that typically a balanced schedule from Angels, the White Sox at ber of trips,” said Chuck
ball said Wednesday it will when you’re competing 1977-2000 and the National Pittsburgh and Kansas City Torres, MLB’s senior director
open the 2023 season on for the wild card, there’s a League from 1993-2000, at San Francisco on April 7. of scheduling and broad-
March 30 and again will try much higher percentage with interleague play start- Toronto opens with 10 road casting. Other than within
to have every team start of common opponents ing in 1997 and limited to games before hosting De- its own division, a team can
on the same day, which across divisions,” said Chris 15-18 games per season troit on April 11, a request host or visit a maximum of
last occurred in 1968. Marinak, MLB’s chief oper- for each team. Then-Com- made by the Blue Jays be- three teams from another
A team will play 13 games ations and strategy officer. missioner Bud Selig had cause of construction at division. To combat ex-
against each division rival “And we think that equity pushed for a return to an Rogers Centre. haustion, each team was
for a total of 52 and six or is good for the competition unbalanced schedule. The schedule usually is up- scheduled for seven off
seven against each other on the field. AL openers have Baltimore dated with game times days among its last 67 days,
club in its league for a to- “On the marketing side, we at Boston, the Chicago during the winter. three among its last 32 and
tal of 64. The remaining 46 think that the new sched- White Sox at Houston, Min- Next year’s start is the earli- one in its last 10.
games are against inter- ule gives our fans more op- nesota at Kansas City, the est since 2019. The season MLB tried to have all 30
league opponents: a home ponents at home, so they Los Angeles Angels at Oak- will revert to 186 days from clubs play on the same
and road two-game series get to see a broader array land, Cleveland at Seattle the 182 it was shortened to opening day for four of the
against a so-called natu- of clubs in their ballpark,” and Detroit at Tampa Bay. this year due to the lockout. past five seasons.q

Marc Soler gives Spain 1st Grand Tour stage win in 2 years

BILBAO, Spain (AP) — With very happy,” said Soler, of a lot to me. Last year, I left
the finish line in sight, Marc UAE Team Emirates. “It’s the race with a serious ac-
Soler looked back over not easy. There are many cident. I didn’t know if I
his shoulder and realized Spanish riders in many would be able to return to
his challengers wouldn’t teams but we often have my best level. And a year
catch him. to work. It’s not easy but we later I lead a Grand Tour. I
He threw his hand to his can also win.” really struggled this winter,
helmet in apparent disbe- Soler’s other win at the I couldn’t do any sport for
lief, then started celebrat- Vuelta came on the sec- several weeks. You always
ing a big win for him and his ond stage in 2020. have to believe.”
country. Frenchman Rudy Molard Molard leads the general
Soler broke free on the fi- was in the group of riders classification by two sec-
nal ascent to win the fifth who crossed the line four onds ahead of Fred Wright,
stage of the Spanish Vuelta seconds behind Soler and the British rider from team
on Wednesday and give took the overall leader’s Bahrain Victorious. Germa-
Spain its first stage win at red jersey from three-time ny’s Nikias Arndt, of Team Spanish rider Marc Soler of UAE team Emirates celebrates after
a Grand Tour race in two defending champion Pri- DSM, was more than a min- winning the 5th stage of the Vuelta cycling race between Irun
years. No Spanish rider had moz Roglic, who had won ute back in third place. and Bilbao, northern Spain, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022.
won since Ion Izagirre took Tuesday’s stage. Roglic, trying to become Associated Press
the sixth stage of the 2020 “I was stressed until the the first rider to win four Jumbo-Visma had its riders began with three stages in
Vuelta. end,” said Molard, a straight Vuelta titles, fell to wearing the red jersey in the Netherlands, will finish in
“In the end I was able to Frenchman from team fifth place, more than four each of the first four stages.
make it happen and I’m Groupama-FDJ. “It means minutes off the lead. His Madrid.q
The three-week race, which