2016 Blue Jays regular season schedule begins in Tampa Bay, ends in Boston

The potential defending World Champion Toronto Blue Jays (did I jinx them?) and their potential ace David Price face the Rays in St. Petersburg on Monday, April 4, 2016, according to the tentative regular season schedule posted by Major League Baseball. The Jays and Rays will play a four-game series to start the year.

The Blue Jays' Home Opener will be a few days later, on Friday, April 8, against the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees come into town next before the Jays head back on the road to Boston then Baltimore.

In terms of holidays the Blue Jays have an offday on Victoria Day (May 23), play at home against the Indians on Canada Day (July 1), in Houston on Civic Holiday (August 1), and are in New York for Labour Day (September 5).

For interleague play in 2016, the Blue Jays will get to face the National League West, and the interleague matchup to have yet to occur will occur July 25-27 when the San Diego Padres finally visit Toronto in the 19th season of Interleague play. The Blue Jays will also get a home-and-home series against the Phillies, their "natural rivals", with two games at home on June 13 and 14 and two games in Philadelphia on the 15th and 16th. The Dodgers are visiting May 6-8 before the Blue Jays head to San Francisco to play the Giants on the next three days. The Diamondbacks will visit Toronto for just two games, on June 21-22, a week before Troy Tulowitzki makes his heroic return to Coors Field on June 27-29. The Blue Jays will visit Arizona, again for two games, on July 19-20 in one of their five

The DIamondbacks game on Wednesday, June 22 is a 4:05 pm start so plan to play hooky from work that day.

Unfortunately the Blue Jays and Mariners won't play a summer weekend series in 2016, the Jays won't visit Seattle until September 19-21, a Monday to Wednesday series.

The Blue Jays' last (regular season) home game is Thursday, September 29 against the Orioles, after which they travel to Boston for a three-game series to finish the regular season on October 2.

Distribution of games

• April: 12 Home, 13 Away
• May: 15 Home, 14 Away
• June: 10 Home, 17 Away
• July: 19 Home, 5 (!) Away
• August: 12 Home, 16 Away
• September/October: 13 Home, 16 Away

Bisons Schedule

The Bisons begin their 2016 campaign where they wrapped up this season, in Pawtucket against the Red Sox. Their home opener will be on Thursday, April 14 at 2:05 pm. As discussed in an interview with Bisons general manager Mike Buczkowski, Buffalo will only play seven home games in cold April, meaning they will be at home a lot in the summer months.

Potential Toronto-Buffalo "doubleheaders" dates for 2016:

• June 11: vs. Baltimore at 1:07 pm | vs. Charlotte at 6:05 pm
• June 14: vs. Philadelphia at 12:37 pm | vs. Durham at 7:05 pm
• July 1 vs. Cleveland at 1:07 pm | vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre at 7:05 pm
• July 3: vs. Cleveland at 1:07 pm | vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre at 6:05 pm
• July 9: vs. Detroit at 1:07 pm | vs. Lehigh Valley at 7:05 pm
• July 23: vs. Seattle at 1:07 pm | vs. Gwinnett at 7:05 pm
• July 30: vs. Baltimore at 1:07 pm | vs. Syracuse at 7:05 pm
• August 13: vs. Houston at 1:07 pm | vs. Pawtucket at 7:05 pm
• August 27: vs. Twins at 1:07 pm | vs. Lehigh Valley at 6:05 pm

Needless to say, please drive carefully and according to posted speed limits, especially for those 6 pm starts.