Philadelphia Phillies fans cheer during the ninth inning of starting pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) as he pitches a two-hit, complete game shutout against the New York Mets Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Phillies' NL East rivalries suffer under MLB's new schedule

By Bruce Ewing | Last updated 5/24/23

Forty-nine games into the regular season, the Philadelphia Phillies have played just three games against division rivals. Thanks to MLB’s new “balanced schedule” all teams must play each other during the regular season, often at the cost of division rivalries. But is it worth it?

In the past, almost half of each team’s regular season games would come against division rivals. The Phillies and Mets played each other 19 times last season. This year, they’ll meet 10 times. Overall, MLB teams will play just 52 games against division opponents in 2023, down from 76 games in 2022.

For teams in tough divisions like the AL East, the new schedule is a godsend. Imagine being an Orioles fan over the years knowing the bulk of the schedule will come against the Red Sox and Yankees each season.

Phillies-Mets

The best rivalry in baseball pic.twitter.com/6r7XfplRRt
— NBA Slime (@TerryFranconia) August 19, 2022

For teams in weaker divisions, the balanced schedule can be seen as a disadvantage. Right now the Minnesota Twins would like nothing more than to beat up on the Kansas City Royals and their .300 winning percentage, but they’ll only see their AL Central rivals nine times this year.

Of course, the new format allows the league to market its biggest stars to a wider audience. NBA fans, for example, have known that LeBron James would appear in their arena for the last 20 years. Baseball tried to remedy the situation in 1997 with interleague play, but not every market got to see the biggest stars.

Still, rivalries are fun and it’s hard to get a read on a team without division play. How much better are the Braves than the Phillies? How about the Mets? Without head–to-head matchups, it’s hard to make an informed opinion.

Luckily for Phillies fans, the team begins an 11-day road trip on Thursday where they’ll play only NL East rivals. Maybe after 10 games against the Braves, Mets and Nationals, Phillies fans will have a better feel for their team.

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