Report: Reds to open with AL opponent in 2013
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| Opening Day in Cincinnati is a huge event, and next year it'll be historic. (Getty Images) |
With the Astros shifting to the AL West next season, each league will have 15 teams. That means there will be at least one interleague series throughout the season. It appears that series to open things in 2013 will be the
Now, obviously it's not shocking that an American League team will open against a National League team, but the news here is that it's Cincinnati. The first professional baseball team, the Reds have been around since 1882 and have never played their first game against an American League team.
Also, opening day in Cincinnati is treated like a holiday. The Reds traditionally open with a home game, while some offices close early and there's a parade -- the Findlay Market Parade, which had its 93rd annual installment this past April. The first game in the entire majors used to be in Cincinnati, before MLB started going with a lone night game on the eve of "opening day," but the Reds still usually host the first game the day that most teams begin the season.
None of that will change next season. The added wrinkle is that it'll be historic, should the reportedly tentative schedule remain unchanged.
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