Red Sox: Way too early 2021 schedule highlights, key dates, takeaways
By Sean Penney
Red Sox 2021 key dates
The Red Sox open the 2021 season at home against the Baltimore Orioles on April 1, marking the second consecutive year they will open at Fenway Park against the same opponent. Boston typically opens with a road trip to warmer climates or dome stadiums due to the often frigid temperatures of early spring in this region.
The club opened on the road in eight of the last nine seasons before being scheduled to open this season at home on July 24. This is only the sixth time since 1996 that the Red Sox will open at Fenway Park and it will be only the second time they have played in Boston as early as April 1.
Warm weather won’t be a concern in the middle of this summer but it might be next April. At least the season will begin a few days later than the late-March dates of previous recent seasons.
Boston has a home-heavy schedule to begin the season with 16 of their first 27 games at Fenway Park. That includes a 10-game homestand in April.
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The Red Sox won’t meet their greatest rival until June. They travel to the Bronx for a series from June 4-6 and the Yankees will make their first trip to Fenway from June 25-27. The clubs also meet immediately after the All-Star break in a pair of series that sees them play eight times in a span of 11 days.
Boston will face the NL East in interleague play for the second consecutive season. They host the Braves, Marlins, Phillies, and Mets at Fenway. The Red Sox will travel to play the Braves, Phillies, Mets, and Nationals on the road.
The schedule still includes west coast trips to face AL opponents but containing the interleague schedule to the east coast helps reduce travel in a world that might still be dealing with COVID-19.
If the Red Sox are in a tight race for a playoff spot down the stretch then they may need to clinch on the road. They go to Baltimore for three games with the Orioles at the end of September before wrapping up the season with three in Washington against the 2019 champion Nationals from October 1-3.
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This schedule is subject to change if MLB is forced to adapt to the unpredictable pandemic sweeping the globe. We have no guarantee that the 2020 season will be successfully completed so we can’t know for certain what awaits next year. It’s hard to imagine it getting any worse than what we’ve endured this year though so for now, it’s nice to have something to potentially look forward to.