2023 MLB season preview
March 30, 2023
Spring vibes, a clean slate, a renewed sense of optimism for your team — there’s nothing quite like MLB Opening Day.
SOURCE: J. MERIC/GETTY IMAGES
⚙️ The set-up
Buckle up, because the MLB season is a lengthy one: The league’s 30 teams each play 162 regular-season games, beginning this afternoon and running through early October. The squads are evenly divided into two leagues — the American League (AL) and National League (NL) — which are further split into three divisions each: East, Central and West.
- Divisional matchups are crucial, but there won’t be as many of them this year. While Interleague games (AL vs. NL) were rare in years prior, a scheduling change will see each squad now play one series per season against every team in the other league.
As for the playoffs, last year marked the first time 12 teams competed in the postseason (up from 10 in prior years), with three divisional winners and three Wild Card teams from each league playing October baseball. The more the merrier.