Welcome back to the Guardians Beat newsletter. My name is Tim Stebbins, and this is my first season covering Cleveland for MLB.com. |
CLEVELAND -- The Guardians’ streak of opening the regular season on the road will continue next year.
MLB unveiled the 2026 schedule on Tuesday, and the Guardians will kick things off with an Opening Day showdown on March 26 in Seattle against the Mariners. It will mark the ninth consecutive full season that Cleveland will begin on the road, and the second time in four seasons that the club kicks off its campaign in Seattle (also in ‘23). Cleveland opened the 2020 season at Progressive Field, but that was during the shortened 60-game campaign. You have to go all the way back to 2016 to find the last time the club played its season opener at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario. Of course, that 2016 opener was postponed one day, from April 4 to April 5, due to a mix of snow and rain. The weather in northeast Ohio is always a wild card in March and April. Here are some additional highlights from the Guardians’ 2026 schedule. |
1. Opening Day is part of the Guardians’ season-opening seven-game road trip. After a four-game series at the Mariners (March 26-29), the Guardians will visit the Dodgers for three games (March 30-April 1). 2. The Guardians’ home opener is scheduled for Friday, April 3, when they will welcome the Cubs to Progressive Field for three games. That series will mark the second time in franchise history that Cleveland will host a National League team for its home opener (also San Francisco in 2022). It’s part of a six-game homestand that includes a three-game series vs. the Royals (April 6-8). 3. That series vs. Kansas City is Cleveland’s only divisional matchup in March/April. The Guardians have three series against AL Central opponents in May: at the Royals (May 4-7), vs. the Twins (May 8-10) and at the Tigers (May 18-21).
4. The Guardians will host eight Interleague opponents next season: the Cubs, Reds (May 15-17), Nationals (May 25-27), Pirates (July 17-19), D-backs (July 31-Aug. 2), Mets (Aug. 4-6), Padres (Aug. 14-16) and Giants (Aug. 18-20). |
5. If you’re looking to take a trip to check out a new ballpark, the Guardians have eight Interleague road series. They’ll visit the Dodgers on the opening trip, and also the Braves (April 10-12), Cardinals (April 13-15), Phillies (May 22-24), Brewers (June 16-18), Marlins (July 10-12), Reds (July 27-29) and Rockies (Aug. 21-23). The All-Star break also will directly follow the series in Miami.
6. The Guardians’ longest homestand is 10 games from June 26-July 5, against the Mariners, Rangers and White Sox. Their longest road trip is nine games from June 16-24, against the Brewers, Astros and White Sox. 7. The Guardians’ final homestand is a six-gamer from Sept. 14-20, against the White Sox and A’s. Cleveland will end the season with a six-game road trip against the Red Sox (Sept. 22-24) and Royals (Sept. 25-27). You can find the full 2026 schedule here. |
MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
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Before Parker Messick last Wednesday, who was the most recent Cleveland lefty to toss 6 2/3 innings or more in his MLB debut?
A. CC Sabathia
B. Scott Lewis
C. Aaron Laffey
D. Cliff Lee |
The Guardians will welcome the Mariners to Progressive Field for three games this weekend, and the club has a series full of fun promotions scheduled -- highlighted by City Connect bucket hat on Saturday (first 20,000 fans). A Guardians-themed Cookie Monster bobblehead on Sunday is among the special-ticket offers as part of the club’s Sesame Street Day celebration. More info on the full giveaway schedule can be found here, and the theme night schedule here. |
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• The Guardians placed first baseman Carlos Santana on outright waivers, which could spell the end of his third tenure with Cleveland. Read more >>
• Emotions ran high on Tuesday as the Guardians’ rough stretch continued in the series opener against the Rays. Read more >>
• MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand takes a look at players who have big contract decisions looming this offseason. Read more >> |
B. Scott Lewis
Lewis, a 2004 third-round Draft pick, kicked off his MLB career by throwing eight scoreless innings and whiffing three in Cleveland's 7-1 win over the Orioles on Sept. 10, 2008. |
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