5 takeaways from Phillies 2024 schedule

The 2024 Phillies schedule was released on Thursday. Here are a few highlights from the 162-game schedule.

Another Opening Day vs. Atlanta Braves

For the third time in the last six years, the Phillies will open their schedule at home against the division-rival Atlanta Braves. They’re 6-0 in opening series against the Braves dating back to 2019, so maybe it’s best for the Phillies to get those matchups with Atlanta out of the way early.

After that series, they won’t see the Braves again until the weekend of July 5-7 at Truist Park. The next meeting at home against the Braves won’t be until the very end of August.

It’ll be intriguing to see what both teams look like come Opening Day 2024. Will Atlanta still have by far the best roster in paper? The answer to that is probably yes considering the Braves’ best player eligible for free agency after this year is reliever Joe Jiménez.

Aaron Nola has started both of the last two Opening Day home games against the Braves. Will he be with the Phillies to open up next season against the opponent he’s had the most success against? The answer to that — in my opinion — is also probably yes.

An incredible slate of summer interleague road trips

If you’re the kind of Phillies fan that aspires to hit up all 30 ballparks at least once, next summer is the time to check off a few boxes.

Outside of the London Series, which we’ll get to later, here are some of the cities the Phillies will visit in 2024.

• April 29 through May 1 at Los Angeles Angels — First time since 2017
• June 11 through 13 at Boston Red Sox — First time since 2021
• June 14 through 16 at Baltimore Orioles — First time since 2018
• June 24 through 26 at Detroit Tigers — First time since 2019
• July 22 through 24 at Minnesota Twins — First time since 2016
• Aug. 2 through 4 at Seattle Mariners — First time since 2022
• Aug. 23 through 25 at Kansas City Royals — First time since 2019

All but one of these trips fall during peak vacation season from June to August. A Father’s Day weekend trip to see the Phillies and Orioles at Camden Yards is a must-do. It’s a top-five ballpark in baseball and both teams should be in playoff contention. Target Field in Minneapolis is also a sleeper. The Phillies’ visit to Kauffman Stadium later next summer will mark only the third time the franchise has played a series in Kansas City since the 1980 World Series.

Brutal home and away split

The Phillies can’t afford to start slow the first two months of next season.

They’ll enjoy the benefits of a frontloaded road schedule this year, but that won’t be the case next year.

They’ll play nearly as many road games in the second half as they will in the first half. Excluding the neutral site London Series against the Mets, the Phillies will play 52 at home and 42 on the road in the first half of 2024. They have 28 home games and 38 road games in the second half.

Second-half road opponents in 2024 that currently hold a playoff spot include the Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona, Atlanta, Toronto, Miami and Milwaukee. Add in the Twins, Blue Jays and Mets and the Phillies are really going to be battle tested if they come out of next year’s schedule with a playoff spot.

The Phillies have a 13-2 record in their last 15 road games, but this group, like most teams, are historically a better team at home than on the road.

Interestingly enough, manager Rob Thomson addressed the Phillies’ slow starts and has actively wondered if it is more than a coincidence.

“I think at the end of this year, what we need to do is sit down and look at maybe adjusting some spring training stuff,” Thomson said on June 30. “Whatever that is, whether we’re building up pitchers differently or we’re building up position players differently as far as at-bats or innings played, whatever it is, I don’t know, but we have to look at that because maybe there’s something there.”

London Series schedule oddities

The Phillies and Mets will play two games in London, England on June 8 and 9. With that comes some scheduling abnormalities.

Before the series, they’ll have two off days to both recover from jet lag and participate in promotional events. The Phillies will have another off day the following Monday and go to Boston for a quick two-city AL East roadtrip.

Before the London Series, the Phillies will also play a rare home-and-home four-game series in May from May 13-16. The Mets will host the first two and the Phillies will host the final two games.

Other notes from Phillies schedule

• The Houston Astros will return to Citizens Bank Park for the first time since the 2022 World Series on Aug. 26-28. The series marks Houston’s first trip to Citizens Bank Park during the regular season since 2017.
• The Phillies conclude the first half of the regular season with an old city series matchup against the Athletics in Philadelphia. It will be the first time the Phillies conclude the first half of the season at home since 2017.
• They’ll play 22 games against the NL East through the first four months of the season and 25 through the last two months.
• 2024 season tickets go on sale in August, according to the team. Single-game tickets and group tickets are expected to go on sale in November.

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