Bundle up! 2020 MLB opening day is March 26, earliest ever

NEW YORK – The 2020 Major League Baseball season will open March 26, the earliest big league opening day.

The Texas Rangers announced Friday they will play the St. Louis Cardinals in an exhibition on Monday, March 23 as the first game involving major league teams at Globe Life Field, their new ballpark with a retractable roof.

A person familiar with the schedule then said the season will open on Thursday, March 26. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no announcement was authorized.

This season’s opening day for most teams was March 28, two days ahead of 2003, 2008 and 2014, which had been tied for the earliest. Seattle and Oakland started with a two-game series at Tokyo on March 20-21, MLB’s fifth opener in Japan.

By starting March 26 instead of a week later on April 2, the 2020 regular season will be set to end on Sept. 27 rather than Oct. 4

Construction on Globe Life Field, just south of the Rangers current Globe Life Park, started in October 2017.