Look, I get it. Every year, we hit that weird lull in February where the weather is miserable and you'd give just about anything to hear the crack of a wood bat. You're probably sitting there thinking the season starts "sometime in April," right?
Well, you’re actually a bit off.
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The 2025 calendar is a total curveball. If you wait until April to tune in, you’re going to miss some of the most historic games of the decade. Major League Baseball is leaning hard into the "World" part of World Series this year, and the schedule reflects that. Honestly, the MLB 2025 season start is staggered in a way that’s kinda confusing if you aren't paying close attention to the international dates.
The "Real" MLB 2025 Season Start: The Tokyo Series
Forget what you know about the traditional Thursday opener in the States. The official start of the 2025 regular season actually happens in Japan. On Tuesday, March 18, 2025, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs square off at the Tokyo Dome.
This isn't an exhibition. It's not a "preseason" warmup. These are real, meaningful games that count in the standings.
Why Tokyo? Simple: Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The Dodgers are basically Japan’s national team at this point. Seeing them face off against the Cubs—who have their own Japanese stars like Seiya Suzuki and Shota Imanaga—is the biggest ticket in the history of the Tokyo Dome.
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- Game 1: March 18, 2025
- Game 2: March 19, 2025
The games start around 6:00 a.m. ET, so if you're on the East Coast, you're looking at a "breakfast with baseball" situation. If you're in LA, you’re basically pulling an all-nighter.
Traditional Opening Day: The March 27 Blitz
After the Tokyo Series, the teams fly back, get over their jet lag, and finish up a few exhibition games. Then comes the day everyone actually circles on their calendar. Thursday, March 27, 2025, is the traditional Opening Day for the rest of the league.
This is actually the earliest "domestic" Opening Day in the history of the sport. Usually, we're looking at the very end of March or the first few days of April. But the league wants more off-days for players during the summer, so they’re pushing the start date up as far as they can without playing in a blizzard (hopefully).
On March 27, 26 of the 30 teams will take the field. It’s a literal 14-game marathon.
The Milwaukee Brewers visit the Yankees, and you've got the Red Sox hosting the Rangers. One weird quirk? The Tampa Bay Rays and Colorado Rockies actually wait until Friday, March 28 to start. The Rays are playing at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa this year because Hurricane Milton absolutely shredded the roof of Tropicana Field. They needed an extra day to get the "home" opener logistics sorted at a spring training site.
Spring Training and the "Spring Breakout"
Before we get to the meaningful stuff, we have to talk about February. Pitchers and catchers usually report around February 12th or 13th.
The first actual Spring Training game happens on Thursday, February 20, 2025. Again, it’s the Dodgers and Cubs leading the way in the Cactus League.
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If you're a prospect nerd, you need to watch out for "Spring Breakout" from March 13–16. It’s a four-day event where each team's top prospects play against each other. It’s basically a preview of what the league will look like in 2027 or 2028. It’s honestly some of the most fun baseball of the year because these kids are playing like their lives depend on it.
Key Dates You Can't Ignore
Once the MLB 2025 season start is behind us, the schedule moves fast. Here are the big ones to keep in your notes:
- Mexico City Series: March 23–24. The Mets and Phillies head to Mexico for two games. This actually happens between the Tokyo Series and the US Opening Day.
- The All-Star Game: July 15, 2025. It’s happening at Truist Park in Atlanta.
- The "Speedway Classic": August 2, 2025. This is the one I’m most hyped for. The Braves and Reds are playing a game at Bristol Motor Speedway. They’re building a field in the middle of a NASCAR track. It’s going to be insane.
- Regular Season Finale: September 28, 2025. All 30 teams play on this Sunday.
Why the Schedule Looks Different This Year
You might notice there are more "rivalry" games. MLB tweaked the balanced schedule slightly for 2025. They’ve increased the number of games against "prime interleague rivals" to six.
Think Mets vs. Yankees, Cubs vs. White Sox, or Dodgers vs. Angels.
Basically, the league realized that while playing everyone is cool, fans actually want to see the crosstown showdowns more often. Most of these high-intensity rivalry series are packed into a single weekend in mid-May (May 16–18).
Actionable Tips for Fans
If you're planning your year around the 2025 season, don't just wing it.
First, check your local listings for those Tokyo games on March 18. Since they are on FOX and FS1, you don't necessarily need a fancy subscription, but you will need a loud alarm clock.
Second, if you’re a Rays fan, double-check your tickets. Playing at a Spring Training stadium means significantly fewer seats and a totally different vibe. It’s going to be intimate, but tickets will be a nightmare to get.
Finally, keep an eye on the weather for that March 27 start. With the season starting this early, the "Weather Delay" is going to be a major factor for teams in the Northeast and Midwest.
The 2025 season is a long haul—162 games over 186 days. It officially kicks off in Japan, settles into the States a week later, and ends with a potential Game 7 of the World Series on November 1. Buckle up.
Make sure you download your team's specific schedule now, as the "off-days" are distributed differently this year to account for the early start.