A month-by-month breakdown of the 2022 Red Sox schedule
Breaking down the 2022 Red Sox schedule
Red Sox Nation, for a while, it looked like we were going to get a shortened 2022 MLB season. On March 1, after a week of negotiations in Florida, commissioner Rob Manfred announced that the MLBPA had rejected the owner’s offer and that he was canceling the first week of the season.
That scene repeated itself the next week when an agreement was failed to be reached by MLB’s arbitrary deadline and Manfred canceled another week. Forget 162 games: It seemed likely that the entire month of April would be wiped out.
Yet something unexpected happened the very next day. The MLB and MLBPA hastily and shockingly agreed to a new CBA, and the entire 162-game slate was preserved. With the Red Sox schedule now set in stone, I thought it would worthwhile to do a month-by-month breakdown of what lies ahead.
April
Red Sox home vs road games: 6/16
Arguably no team was more affected by the postponement of the first six games than the Red Sox. Each of the first two series was to be played in Fenway Park, including three contests against the lowly Orioles. Fortunately for the Red Sox, all six of those games will be made up, three of which by way of doubleheaders and three in a series at the end of the season.
Still, the loss of six home games will leave the Red Sox with an extremely difficult April schedule. Sixteen of their 22 games will take place on the road, including the first three in Yankee Stadium. As common in the first month of the season, many of their games will be against their AL East rivals. Over half of their games will come against the Blue Jays, Rays, and Yankees, each of whom won over 90 games last season.
The only bright spots on the Red Sox’s April schedule are two series against AL Central bottom-feeders Twins and Tigers and the lowly Orioles. Still, the combination of long road trips and difficult series against talented division rivals leave the Red Sox with a grueling April schedule.
May
Red Sox home vs road games: 18/9
While the Red Sox will be on the road much of April, the script will be flipped in May. Eighteen of their 27 games will be played in Fenway Park, including a stretch of 12 out of 15 games in the second half of the month. That total could even be increased, as the three-game set against the Orioles that was canceled in April could get made up when Baltimore returns in May.
That doesn’t mean that the month will be smooth sailing, however. 16 out of the 27 games this season will be against teams that finished over .500 last month, their second-highest monthly total of 2022. That total includes nine games against White Sox and Astros, the winners of the other two American League divisions.
Overall, though, May’s schedule shouldn’t be too tough. Having at least five games against the Orioles will help, as will three games each against the mediocre Angels and the still-rebuilding Rangers. Even though they play a number of games against competitive teams, many of them take place in the comforts of Fenway Park. Expect the Red Sox to have a good month.
June
Red Sox home vs road games: 10/16
As the pennant race begins to take form in June, the Red Sox will have the fortune of a soft schedule. Only three of their 26 games will be played against teams that made the playoffs last year, and those are against the Cardinals, who won just 90 games and lost in the Wild Card round. In addition, the Red Sox will face none of the top of the four American League teams from last year.
The month begins again with the always-tough, west coast road trip, but there are reasons to believe it won’t be as difficult this year. The series includes three games against the in-transition Athletics, four against the mediocre Angels, and three against the improving but not quite formidable Mariners.
Their reward for getting through that stretch is a nine-game homestand, each against a team that the Red Sox should be able to handle.
The club will also be helped out by the fact that they will have four off-days in the month, including two bookending the west coast swing. Even though the majority of the Red Sox’s June slate will take place on the road, there is no question that this is one of their easiest months.
July
Red Sox home vs road games: 17/10
The Red Sox’s July schedule is as difficult as their June schedule is easy. Twenty-one of their 27 games come against teams that finished above .500, their highest of any month. Seventeen of those games come against teams who made their playoffs last year.
July also features the most difficult stretch of games of the entire Red Sox schedule: A fourteen-game gauntlet against the Yankees and the Rays. Those two teams combined for 192 wins and a winning record against Boston last year. Those 14 games come in 14 consecutive days, a grueling run that will carry the Red Sox until the All-Star break.
Things won’t get any better for the Red Sox after the four-day hiatus. They have another ten-game stretch without off days which include three games against the high-powered Blue Jays and three against the division-winning Brewers. From the beginning to the end, the Red Sox will be challenged in July, a month that will play a huge role in deciding their playoff fate.
August
Red Sox home vs road games: 11/16
Boston’s August schedule definitely has its soft spots. A six-game stretch against the Orioles and Pirates should be a prime opportunity for the Red Sox to pick up ground, while series in Kansas City and Minnesota also shouldn’t be too challenging. In all, the Red Sox play just 14 games of their 27 games against teams with winning records in 2021, their lowest percentage of any month.
That doesn’t mean, however, that August doesn’t feature some tough matchups. The aforementioned Royals series is sandwiched between sets against the two World Series teams from last year, with the Astros series taking place in Houston.
The schedule also contains series against the Yankees and the Rays, though both will be in the comforts of Fenway Park. The series against the Rays could also be longer than initially scheduled, as the three-game set that was canceled in April needs to be made up.
Overall, this month of Sox baseball is still a terrific opportunity for the team to both beat up on lightweights and gain ground on division and league rivals. If the Red Sox can take care of business against the cellar-dwellers and play .500 baseball against the contenders, it would qualify as a successful month.
September/October
Red Sox home vs road games: 12/15
As mentioned earlier, the September/October schedule is subject to change. We already know that a three-game set against either the Orioles or the Rays, and there is a chance that the other three games that are not made up at the end of the season are squeezed into doubleheaders or off-days.
From the games that are already on the schedule, however, it is clear that the Red Sox caught a break. The month feature six games against the bottom-feeding Orioles, which should provide a much-needed boost in the stretch run.
Boston also has sets at home against the retooling Royals and Rangers, meaning that around half of their games in the month will come against teams who lost 88 games or more in 2021.
The Sox will still have their challenges, of course. A three-game set in Tampa Bay and six games against the Yankees, four of which in Yankee Stadium, could make the difference in the division. Yet to play so many non-contenders in the season’s final month is rare, and with five off-days mixed in, the Red Sox will have ample opportunity to rest their players for the critical intra-division games.
dark. Next. Ten reasons to look forward to the 2022 Red Sox season