The 2008 New York Yankees schedule is out and there are plenty of dates to circle on your calendar if you are an ardent Yankees’ fan. The 2008 Yankees schedule has them opening at home against Toronto and closing the season out, where else, in Boston. The 2008 Yankees schedule sees them play the cross-town rival Mets in a pair of series in May and then June, but on paper at least the remainder of their inter-league schedule does not seem too daunting. However, if New York fails to fire early on, they could be in big trouble, as new manager Joe Girardi needs to get them off to a fast start with a tough road schedule as the 2008 season begins.
The season commences for the 2008 Yankees on the final day of March, as the Blue Jays come in to open the final campaign at venerable Yankee Stadium. New York is moving into the new Yankee Stadium for the 2009 season, so this could be a bittersweet year for the Yankees. Toronto stays for 3 games, followed in by the Rays for 4, who have dropped Devil from their name, but still a club that gave the Yankees all they could handle last year. After that, the Yankees hit the road for the first time, traveling to Kansas City, back east to battle Boston at Fenway Park for 3 contests, and then fly south for a pair with Tampa Bay.
Boston shows up at the Stadium for the first time in 2008 for just a couple of games before New York goes right back living out of their suitcases, meeting Baltimore, Chicago, and the squad that sent them packing last post-season, Cleveland, for a 10 game trip. This means that New York will have a stretch of 18 of 20 tilts away from home as April winds down. If New York cannot handle the time away from Gotham, they could be behind the eight ball when they finally do head home. Things don’t get any easier when they do arrive back in the Big Apple, as Detroit, Seattle, and the Indians will come in to play them, a trio of clubs expected to be tough this upcoming season.
The Mets make their appearance at Yankee Stadium for 3 games starting May 16th, but New York doesn’t play another National League team again until inter-league play begins in earnest in June when they go to Houston for a series with the Astros. The Padres and Reds await them when they come home, the former with pitching but no hitting and the latter with bats but few live arms. The Yankees 2008 schedule then has them in Pittsburgh for 3 with the Pirates and back to New York to Shea Stadium to finish the 6 games with the Mets beginning June 27th.
What will surely be a key series occurs on July 3rd when the Red Sox invade New York for the first of 4. The Yankees go to Beantown for 3 late in July, with the hated Angels up a few games later in New York for 4. Much of the month part of August will be spent on the road, in places like Texas, Anaheim, Minnesota, Toronto, and Baltimore. The Yankees have just 3 home games, with the Royals, from August 4th through the 24th. Boston is at New York for the final time in the regular season for 3 crucial games late in the month, then Toronto makes the trip before the Yanks head to Tampa, Seattle, and then Los Angeles to play the Angels.
A 10 game home stand involving the Rays, White Sox, and Orioles comes mid-September. The Yankees finish up at Toronto for 3 and Boston for 3 in games that could carry the weight of the world if things are going down to the wire in the American League East. The season ends on September 28th, an unusually early date for that to occur, with the post-season to follow shortly after. The New York Yankees and their fans hope they are a part of it.
