The Boston Red Sox have a clean slate entering their latest 162-game journey, which starts Thursday against the Seattle Mariners and marks an opportunity to respond following back-to-back last-place finishes the past two seasons.
With six months of regular-season baseball rapidly approaching comes a handful of key dates to circle ahead of time. Boston has several interleague series against some familiar faces, including one immediately following the MLB All-Star break with the new-look Los Angeles Dodgers -- with or without Shohei Ohtani. Not to mention the season will open up in the hands of 24-year-old pitcher Brayan Bello, who inked a six-year extension this month.
Here are five regular-season series to watch once the season kicks off:
May 17-19 at St. Louis Cardinals: 20 years after 2004 World Series
Boston is scheduled to play 13 games against National League teams in May, including three against the St. Louis Cardinals, whom the Red Sox defeated to end their 86-year title drought in the 2004 World Series.
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Both organizations have grown respectively. The Cardinals have won twice in the Fall Classic since that 2004 clash, and the Red Sox added three more titles, including a 2013 six-game win over St. Louis.
The Red Sox already have a ceremony scheduled for April 9 before hosting the Baltimore Orioles to commemorate the 2004 team, but a trip to St. Louis with a three-game sweep would be nice, too. That series will be played at Busch Stadium, which opened in 2006, two years after Boston made history and began its run which produced four championships.
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June 14-16 vs. New York Yankees: First clash with clean-shaved, pinstriped Alex Verdugo
Aaron Boone, Brian Cashman and the New York Yankees got busy this offseason, adding Juan Soto, Marcus Stroman and old friend Alex Verdugo.
Like the Red Sox, the Yankees too are on the hunt for redemption after missing the playoffs last season, courtesy of an offense that finished runner-up for the fewest hits (1,207) recorded by any MLB team. It's been 15 years since New York last won the World Series and frustrations have begun to rise in the front office after Cashman failed to get 2022 American League MVP Aaron Judge in a deep playoff hunt.
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Boston got the best of New York in 2023, taking nine of 13 matchups, and with Verdugo caught up in the middle by crossing enemy lines, comes an opportunity for some new all-time Red Sox-Yankees moments.
June 28-30 vs. San Diego Padres: Xander Bogaerts returns to Fenway Park
It's been two years since Xander Bogaerts departed from the Red Sox and saluted Boston fans at Fenway Park in the 2022 season finale.
But now a member of the San Diego Padres after signing an 11-year, $280 million contract after ending a 10-year run in Boston, Bogaerts is booked to take the field once again in the place he formerly called home. This time, Bogaerts won't take shortstop, but second base, which San Diego decided this offseason -- a position Bogaerts has never played professionally.
The four-time All-Star contributed to Boston's last two World Series runs, earning four Silver Slugger awards in a Red Sox uniform. Being a homegrown product of Boston's farm system, Bogaerts is due for a roaring round of applause for a memorable and successful stint with the franchise.
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July 19-21 at Los Angeles Dodgers: First-hand look at new LA superteam
There wasn't an MLB team as active as the Los Angeles Dodgers this offseason as they assembled a fantasy-like roster by sparing zero expense. Does that make the 2020 World Series champs a lock to return to the Fall Classic after running away with the NL West? We shall see, and so will the Red Sox.
Boston will take a three-game trip to Dodger Stadium to play ex-Red Sox star outfielder Mookie Betts, who's now LA's go-to shortstop, and a stacked Dodgers roster. Los Angeles won the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes by signing baseball's best player to a record-breaking 10-year, $700 million contract, but that was just the start.
The Dodgers also added pitchers Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, ex-Red Sox lefty James Paxton and utility outfielder Teoscar Hernandez to an already title-contending roster. Needless to say Los Angeles is all-in, and a three-day trip to the sunny West Coast could pose the biggest challenge for Boston heading into the season.
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August 2-4 at Texas Rangers: Battle with defending World Series champs
Nathan Eovaldi became a postseason hero for the Red Sox in 2018, and played a major role in helping the Texas Rangers win their first-ever World Series in 2023.
The Red Sox already welcomed Eovaldi back to Fenway Park last season after the right-hander signed a two-year, $34 million deal with Texas. But this time, Eovaldi -- with another World Series ring on his hand -- will cross paths with his former Boston team en route to another hopeful run at assisting the Rangers toward defending their title.
Boston and Texas will play six times in 2024.
Featured image via Nathan Ray Seebeck/USA TODAY Sports Images
