The 2020 schedule is set. The New York Mets will start their road to the playoffs at home against the Atlanta Braves on July 24.
MLB has announced the 2020 MLB schedule and the New York Mets have one of the toughest slates of games.
Starting with the basics: the Mets will play everyone in the National League East 10 times. The American League East matchups are divided differently based on geographic location. The further away, the fewer games are played. Thus, the Mets will face off against the New York Yankees six times, the Boston Red Sox four times, the Baltimore Orioles four times, the Toronto Blue Jays three times, and the Tampa Bay Rays three times.
The Mets have a few brutal stretches in their schedule. Thirteen games to open the season against the Braves, Red Sox and Washington Nationals isn’t easy. With that said, the final 13 games take the cake. The Mets will play the Philadelphia Phillies, Braves, Rays, and Nationals during that closing stretch.
Something else to note: MLB didn’t evenly distribute home and road games between competition. The Mets will play six home games against the Braves and Miami Marlins, but six road games against the Phillies and Nationals.
For those worried about Jacob deGrom‘s Cy Young hopes, if he pitches every fifth day, he’s set to face the Braves and Marlins three times each, the Phillies twice, and the Yankees, Blue Jays, Red Sox, and Rays once. That means deGrom wouldn’t make a single start against the Nationals in all of 2020, including the final four-game series.
Expect the Mets to manipulate the rotation to find deGrom more games. It’s very unlikely he’ll miss the final four-game series, especially if the ballclub is in the middle of a playoff race.
It’s going to be a heart-pounding 65 days for Mets fans. Competing in the toughest division in MLB under these extreme conditions is bound to be unpredictable. The good news is the Mets went 55-41 against their division and the American League in 2019. The Braves were only four games better and the Nationals just three games.
The playoffs are within striking distance if the Mets continue to play like they did to end the 2019 season.
