CHICAGO — There will be plenty of comebacks in the MLB this summer. Some are happy, others not so much.
Here is something for you to remember when next year kicks off;
Chicago White Sox will visit Houston Astros: The Astros will have another chance to celebrate their second World Series championship when they host the White Sox on Day 1 of the season. Houston defeated Philadelphia in six games to take the title a year ago. There will also be some reunion with Cuban first baseman José Abreu, who completed a three-year deal in November after spending nine seasons with the White Sox.
Los Angeles Angels visit New York Yankees: On the 100th anniversary of Babe Ruth inaugurating the first Yankee Stadium with a home run, Shohei Ohtani and the Angels kick off a three-game series in New York. Although Ohtani had another stellar season, the Angels have a 73-89 finish for the franchise’s seventh losing streak.
The Atlanta Braves will visit the New York Mets: The old rivals will meet for the first time since the end of the regular season as they battle for the NL East title. After Atlanta came around to win the title and was eliminated by New York in the first round of the playoffs, Mets owner Steve Cohen decided to open up his portfolio and signed several players, including pitchers Justin Verlander and Kodai Senga. Atlanta lost star shortstop Dansby Swanson in free agency but acquired catcher Sean Murphy in the trade.
Philadelphia Phillies visit Los Angeles Dodgers: Trea Turner and Philadelphia’s Freddie Freeman visit the Angels in a National League game. Turner played for the Dodgers last year, hitting .298 with 21 home runs and 100 career RBIs. In December, the shortstop signed an 11-year, $300 million contract with Philadelphia. The Phillies will start the season without Bryce Harper after he underwent knee surgery in November, but hope he’ll be back before the All-Star break.
New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox: Aaron Judge and the Yankees will travel to Boston for the first time in 2023 to open a weekend series at Fenway Park against Rafael Devers and the Red Sox. New York went 13-6 against Boston last year with a combined score of 109-76. But this year they will meet only 13 times because of the new MLB balance sheet. New York added Carlos Rodon to their rotation, while Boston signed Japanese forward Masataka Yoshida in a low-key winter offseason.
Chicago Cubs visit St. Louis Cardinals: Baseball returns to London’s Olympic Stadium with Ian Happ and the Cubs to face Willson Contreras and the Cardinals. The national rivals were supposed to play in Central London in 2020, but the game was postponed due to the pandemic. Contreras signed a five-year, $87.5 million deal with St. Louis in December and joins one of Chicago’s biggest rivals after spending the first seven seasons with the Cubs. The Cardinals’ first game at Wrigley Field will be May 8.
Seattle All-Star Game: The All-Stars are heading to the Emerald City for the first time since 2001 and for the third time overall. The last time Seattle coached a game, Carl Ripken Jr. hit a home run that led to a 4-1 AL victory over Barry Bonds and the National League. Mariners star Julio Rodriguez was the runner-up in last year’s Home Run Derby, and the dynamic outfielder will have plenty of support if he decides to give the event another shot at T-Mobile Park.
Texas Rangers visit New York Mets: Ace Jacob deGrom returns to New York after signing a five-year, $185 million deal with Texas. DeGrom, 34, spent the first nine seasons with the Mets, winning two Cy Young Awards as one of the most dominant pitchers. But he was plagued by injury the previous two years. With the addition of deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi, Texas hopes to challenge Houston for the AL West title.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6
Minnesota Twins Rangers Cleveland: The Twins and Rangers meet for the last time in the regular season to end a three-game streak. Minnesota is looking to return to the post after six years and 200 million dollars to sign the Puerto Rican Carlos Correa. Cleveland won the AL Central for the first time since 2018 and finished 14 games ahead of the third-place Twins. The Rangers added power to their roster by signing first baseman Josh Bell to a two-year deal.
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 13
San Diego Padres Visit Los Angeles Dodgers: Manny Machados and San Diego wrap up the season series against Mookie Betts and the Dodgers with a three-game final shootout. The Dodgers won the 2022 NL West title for the ninth time in 10 years, but were eliminated by the Padres in the divisional round. San Diego made one of its most surprising decisions by signing 11-year-old, $280 million shortstop Xander Bogaerts. Los Angeles remained fairly quiet and did not make any acquisitions.
Tampa Bay Radio to visit Toronto Blue Jays: Tampa Bay ends the regular season with a three-game series against American League East rival Toronto. The Rays reached the postseason for the fourth consecutive year, but lost to Cleveland in the wild card round. If Franco Wander can stay healthy, he can give Tampa Bay the ultimate boost. Toronto also made the playoffs last season and could look better after acquiring Chris Bassitt in free agency and slugger Daulton Varsho in a trade with Arizona.
