Nationals announce 2023 schedule

The Washington Nationals, in conjunction with Major League Baseball, announced their 2023 schedule on Wednesday. The 19th season of Nationals baseball will commence with an Opening Day matchup at home against the Atlanta Braves on Thursday, March 30. Opening Day 2023 will mark the fifth time the Nationals (2005-pres.) have faced the Braves on Opening Day.

The 2023 season will be the first to feature a balanced schedule for all 30 Clubs across Major League Baseball since Interleague Play was introduced in 1997. Each of the 30 Clubs will play against one another, and in addition, each of the 30 Clubs will host every other Club in their home market at least once every other season. Specific features of the new balanced schedule include: 

• Division Games
• 52 total games against divisional opponents (decreased from 76)
• 13 games (four total series) against each divisional opponent (decreased from 19 games across six series), including seven home games and six away games (or vice versa), for a total of 26 home games and 26 away games

• Intraleague Games
• 64 total games (32 home games and 32 away games) against non-divisional league opponents (decreased from 66)
• Clubs will play six games against six league opponents, and seven games against four league opponents (previous format was reversed with six games against four league opponents, and seven games against six league opponents)

• Interleague Games
• 46 total games against interleague opponents (increased from 20)
• Clubs will play a home and home series against their natural rivals (four games total)
• Clubs will play 42 games against other interleague opponents, including seven series (21 games) at home and seven series (21 games) on the road

Washington’s initial homestand will feature three games against the Braves before a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays, Monday through Wednesday, April 3-5. The Nationals will host 13 homestands and 14 weekend series during the 2023 season. No homestand will be longer than nine games. Washington’s first road trip will take the team to Colorado, April 6-9, and Los Angeles to face the Angels, April 10-12.

The annual Beltway Series vs. the Baltimore Orioles will renew April 18-19 at Nationals Park, and Washington will travel to Baltimore during the final road trip of the season, Sept. 26-27.

Including their first road trip of the season, the Nationals will make four visits to the West Coast by the end of June. They play at the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants May 5-10; at the Los Angeles Dodgers May 29-31; and at San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners June 23-28.

The Nationals will host the Cincinnati Reds for a four-game series July 3-6 that will feature the annual Fourth of July game at Nationals Park. Following that series, the Texas Rangers will visit Nationals Park for a three-game series July 7-9, before the All-Star break (July 10-13 in Seattle). For the second consecutive season, the Nationals will open on the road following the break, playing at St. Louis July 14-16 and at the Chicago Cubs July 17-19 to open the season’s second half. 

The month of August will feature a mid-week visit from the Boston Red Sox Aug. 15-17, followed by a three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies. Two of those games will take place at Nationals Park before both clubs travel to Williamsport, Pa., for the annual Little League Classic on Sunday, Aug. 20. The month will be capped off by a nine-game road trip that will start with a three-game series against the New York Yankees from Aug. 22-24 followed by a three-game weekend series against the Miami Marlins from Aug. 25-27. Washington will then fly to Toronto to face the Blue Jays Aug. 28-30.

Washington’s final homestand of the season, Sept. 18-24, will bring the Chicago White Sox and Braves to Nationals Park before the Nationals end the 2023 season the following weekend in Atlanta Sept. 29-Oct. 1.