MLB Schedule Release: Dissecting the Marlins’ Historic Schedule for 2023

Unlike the other 3 major professional sports leagues in America, MLB releases their schedule for the following year in its entirety while the current season is still being played. We have over a month of 2022 regular season baseball left, yet we know what games will be played over a year from now.

Most home game start times for the Marlins will look familiar except for Saturdays. Those will be earlier than they were this season—typically 4:10 p.m.—following feedback that the team has received from fans.

Interleague play is being expanded for the 2023 season. Every team now plays series against each other, as the Marlins will get to see all 15 AL teams in the same season. Division games had to be sacrificed for this to work—the usual 19 games that the Marlins typically play against each division rival have been cut down to just 13 games. However, games against NL Central and NL West teams have stayed the same. The Marlins will host full series against each of those teams and travel to their stadiums as well.

Why would MLB choose to do this now? Well, there are two solid reasons behind it, with the main one being the Wild Card race. Teams in weaker divisions won’t be able to inflate their records to the same extent by beating up on nearby opponents.

The other reason is for fans to travel and see their team more often. How many Minnesota Twins fans have seen their team play in Miami before? Not many. As an out-of-town Marlins fan, it gives me more opportunities to see the Marlins without having to get on an airplane.

Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images

Here’s a month-by-month breakdown of who the Marlins play, when they play, where they will play, and some of my thoughts about specific matchups.

March/April

vs New York Mets 3/30-4/2, vs Minnesota Twins 4/3-4/5, at New York Mets 4/6-4/9, at Philadelphia Phillies 4/10-4/12, vs Arizona Diamondbacks 4/14-4/16, vs San Francisco Giants 4/17-4/19, at Cleveland Guardians 4/21-4/23, at Atlanta Braves 4/24-4/27, vs Chicago Cubs 4/28-4/30

That’s an action-packed first month of the season. That’s another scheduled Opening Day in Miami (2020 and 2022 Opening Days were originally scheduled to be in Miami, but the pandemic and the lockout, respectively, canceled those home games). The Marlins also get half of their Mets series out of the way in the first week of the season, and they won’t face each other again until September. That’s also the third straight year the Marlins will face the Giants in the first month of the season, which is a fun pattern. This will be the first time since 2019 that the Twins will come to Miami and that the Marlins will travel to Cleveland.

May

vs Atlanta Braves 5/2-5/4, at Chicago Cubs 5/5-5/7, at Arizona Diamondbacks 5/8-5/10, vs Cincinnati Reds 5/12-5/14, vs Washington Nationals 5/16-5/18, at San Francisco Giants 5/19-5/21, at Colorado Rockies 5/22-5/25, at Los Angeles Angels 5/26-5/28, vs San Diego Padres 5/30-6/1

There’s not a lot of creativity from the MLB schedule-makers here in the first two months, as the Marlins face 4 teams this month that they faced in April. Should make scouting reports a lot easier. The first West Coast trip of the season falls in the month of May, consisting of San Francisco, Colorado, and Anaheim. The Marlins and Angels played some interesting games this season and I’m looking forward to that 3-game set on Memorial Day Weekend.

June

vs Oakland Athletics 6/2-6/4, vs Kansas City Royals 6/5-6/7, at Chicago White Sox 6/9-6/11, at Seattle Mariners 6/12-6/14, at Washington Nationals 6/16-6/18, vs Toronto Blue Jays 6/19-6/21, vs Pittsburgh Pirates 6/22-6/25, at Boston Red Sox 6/27-6/29, at Atlanta Braves 6/30-7/2

The Marlins will face a grand total of 6 AL teams in the month of June, which includes the Athletics’ first trip to Miami since 2017. The Marlins also got absolutely screwed with a 10-day road trip in 3 different time zones, with only one off day during the entire trip. Yikes. The Marlins head back to Fenway once again in 2023, which is always a fun time and a special road trip for the Marlins fans who decide to take it.

July

vs St. Louis Cardinals 7/3-7/6, vs Philadelphia Phillies 7/7-7/9, All-Star Break 7/10-7/13, at Baltimore Orioles 7/14-7/16, at St. Louis Cardinals 7/17-7/19, vs Colorado Rockies 7/21-7/23, at Tampa Bay Rays 7/25-7/26, vs Detroit Tigers 7/28-7/30, at Philadelphia Phillies 7/31-8/3

July will give the Marlins a much-needed break with a handful of off days and the All-Star break. The 2023 All-Star festivities are taking place in Seattle. The Marlins will be home for the 4th of July this year against the Cardinals. Always fun to be hosting on that holiday. My biggest observation from this month, though, is that the Rays home-and-home is still intact. Major League Baseball is preserving the 4-game Citrus Series (the Rays have dominated it in recent years). Props to them.

August

at Texas Rangers 8/4-8/6, at Cincinnati Reds 8/7-8/9, vs New York Yankees 8/11-8/13, vs Houston Astros 8/14-8/16, at Los Angeles Dodgers 8/18-8/20, at San Diego Padres 8/21-8/23, vs Washington Nationals 8/25-8/27, vs Tampa Bay Rays 8/29-8/30, at Washington Nationals 8/31-9/3

The middle of this month is absolutely BRUTAL. It starts off with the Marlins' first-ever trip to Globe Life Field, where they would’ve had the chance to play had they defeated the Atlanta Braves in the 2020 NLDS. Selfishly, I must point out that the series in Cincinnati was the first one I looked for. I’ll be there no matter what. After those two series, it gets wild, with 4 series in a row against 2022 World Series contenders. The titan Yankees, the defending AL champion Astros, the 116-win chasing Dodgers, and the Juan Soto-led Padres is a dangerous stretch. If the Marlins are in contention entering August 2023, this stretch will prove if they’re for real or not.

September/October

vs Los Angeles Dodgers 9/5-9/7, at Philadelphia Phillies 9/8-9/10, at Milwaukee Brewers 9/11-9/14, vs Atlanta Braves 9/15-9/17, vs New York Mets 9/28-9/20, vs Milwaukee Brewers 9/22-9/24, at New York Mets 9/26-9/28, at Pittsburgh Pirates 9/29-10/1

If rosters stayed similar to how they are this year, this would be an insane finish to the season. Only one team in this stretch is projected to finish under .500 in the 2022 season. I also find it funny how the Marlins have to wait all year to face the Brewers and then they face each other twice in two weeks. Anyways, that same Brewers series at home is the final home series for Miami in 2023, with the final series of the year taking place in Pittsburgh. This is the only month this season that the Marlins face zero AL opponents.

Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

Overall, this is a really intriguing schedule that I’m really excited to see play out. Hopefully, it plays out in the Marlins’ favor and we can watch some postseason baseball in Miami next October.