MLB Unveils ’25 Schedule: Ohtani, Dodgers In Tokyo Series; A’s In Sacramento
Thursday, July 18, 2024 at 02:57PM By Barry Janoff
July 18, 2024: With the 2024 All-Star Game in the books, MLB has put the 2025 regular season schedule on the board.
MLB today unveiled its master schedule for 2025, and has signed a deal with Guggenheim global investment and advisory firm to include presenting sponsorship for the 2025 Tokyo Series.
The Tokyo Series presented by Guggenheim will feature the Los Angeles Dodgers and Japan native Shohei Ohtani vs. the Chicago Cubs in a two-game series to open the 2025 season in the Tokyo Dome on March 18-19.
Guggenheim Baseball Management is the ownership group of the Dodgers.
Traditional Opening Day, scheduled to include all 30 MLB clubs, is March 27.
Ahead of their proposed move to Las Vegas in 2028, the Oakland A’s Web site indicates they currently are scheduled to play home games in Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park during the 2025-2027 MLB seasons. The deal includes an option for a fourth year.
The first home series in Sutter Health Park is currently scheduled for March 31-April 2 against the Cubs. The relocation was unveiled in April as part of franchise’s planned relocation to a planned 33,000-seat Las Vegas stadium.
Sutter Health Park, which opened in 2000, has 10,624 seats, but owners said it could be modified to accommodate up to 14,000.
Next season will be the second consecutive year in which an international series is featured to begin the season, following the March 2024 Seoul Series between the Dodgers and San Diego Padres.
MLB said the traditional opening date of March 27 will be the earliest in league history, excluding special season-openers at international venues. Previously, the earliest traditional Opening Day for MLB had been on March 28 in 2019 and 2024.
The Tokyo Series presented by Guggenheim is part of the MLB World Tour, which featured games this season in London, Seoul, Mexico City and the Dominican Republic..
It will be the sixth time in which MLB opens its regular season in Tokyo.
It is also the 25th anniversary of the first regular season games played in Japan in 2000 between the Cubs and the New York Mets.
These will be the first games in Japan since the Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics opened the 2019 season in he Tokyo Dome.
In addition to the openers in 2000 and 2019, other season openers in Japan took place in 2004 (New York Yankees-Tampa Bay Rays), 2008 (Boston Red Sox-Oakland A’s) and 2012 (Seattle Mariners-Oakland A’).
As part of the agreement, Guggenheim will receive extensive Tokyo Series brand placement, including in the event logo, which will appear in advertising and promotion for the event and a sleeve patch on the Dodgers jerseys.
Guggenheim will have worldwide promotional rights tied to the event, signage visible on television, ballpark brand exposure, and premium hospitality opportunities.
Financial terms were not revealed.
“The Tokyo Series presented by Guggenheim provides us with a unique opportunity to showcase great Japanese players in their homeland for our passionate fans in that country,” Noah Garden, MLB deputy commissioner, business and media, said via the league.
“Our new partnership with Guggenheim will help us expand the impact of the event as MLB’s popularity in Japan continues to grow rapidly.”
The 15 games on traditional Opening Day will feature four divisional matchups and five Interleague contests.
Seven games are scheduled for Friday, March 28, 15 games Saturday, March 29, and 14 on Sunday, March 30.
The final day of the 2025 regular season is scheduled for Sept. 28, featuring eight divisional games.
For 2025, prime Interleague rivals will increase their number of matchups from four to six while playing a pair of three-game series rather than a pair of two-game series. As a result, each of the 30 clubs will play two fewer games against non-division league opponents.
“Rivalry Weekend” across MLB will take place on the weekend of May 16-18, featuring 11 series between prime Interleague rivals and four other regional matchups.
In 2025, each of the 30 clubs will host the same Interleague opponents as they hosted in 2023 (the 2026 schedule will feature clubs hosting the same Interleague opponents as 2024).
The 95th All-Star Game presented by MasterCard is scheduled for July 15 in Truist Park in Atlanta, marking the ballpark’s first Midsummer Classic and the third overall to be hosted by the Braves in Atlanta: 1972 in Atlanta Stadium and 2000 in Turner Field.
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